


The Rat and Red Eyed Boy

by floof42



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bullying, Depression, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, but mostly a lot of fluff, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-22
Updated: 2015-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-10 16:52:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 56,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4399778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floof42/pseuds/floof42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shion didn't expect for this year to be any different from his others. He had always been the 'weird' kid and got teased for the red mark that traveled along his body. Little did he know his life would change after meeting a certain boy. Nezushi high school AU where Shion's scars are also sensitive to touch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I was going to do it. The thing I had spent weeks planning. It was time to make a move on Nezumi. The mysterious boy and I had only just met this year. I never would of even imagined becoming friends with someone like him. It had been my first day of high school, the day I didn't know wether to be excited, or pee my pants for. I had nervously sat down in my first period 5 min before the bell would ring and made sure to take my one and only friend's advice; "First impressions are the most important, Shion! That's how everyone will remember you. Make sure you sit near the front and smile at everyone, especially the teacher." Safu had said. So I followed her orders. I was the only student there at the time and took that time to greet the teacher and fiddle with 3 of my pre-sharpened pencils that now sat on the corner of my desk . Slowly more students trickled in. Most of whom I didn't know but every now and then would recognize from my old school. When the bell finally rang the teacher stood up and immediately introduced himself.

"Hello students! Hope your summer's been great. I'm Mr. Brown, your new science teacher!" And proceeded to go over the things we would be studying in his science class. I slouched in my chair as soon as he said we would be doing a lot of assignments with a partner. It's not like I didn't enjoy working with other people it's just no one ever wanted to be paired up with me. They all seem to get.. scared of how I looked. Ten minutes later the teacher was still only halfway through his speech. Many students had their head in their hands by this time. One student even looked like he was asleep "In the second term we will be studying the growth of pla-" suddenly the door closed with a loud bang as a boy, or maybe it was a girl, walked through. The students all turned their heads to see the newcomer.

"Late!" One student obnoxiously yelled. The now obvious boy, had long dark hair pulled into a ponytail and gave off the feeling that if you came too close you'd be bitten. Their clothes were dark and slightly worn. The jacket he had on made me feel hot just by looking at it. The whole class watched in silence as the boy sat down near the back of the room. Finally the teacher broke the ice, "N-Nezumi! Glad you made it, I had started getting worried! I was just going over what we will be studying this year. I'll have one of the students catch you up" all the students turned to look at the ground to avoid the teachers gaze. "Um.. Shion!" I looked up to see the teacher staring at me and the notes I had been taking.  
Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to sit up front.  
"Can you help Nezumi get caught up? It should only take a minute."  
I tried to give the teacher a pitiful glance but ended up nodding quickly and walking to the back of the room with my notes. I kept my eyes down to avoid the other students. When I screeched a chair up to Nezumi's desk the teacher started going on about the curriculum again and everyone stopped staring at me. Well everyone expect the boy in front of me.

"Is that a scar?" He asked, pointing at my cheek.

I was startled to find his voice soft and not as rough as I thought it would be. But I quickly got over it and answered the question I was so frequently asked,  
"Oh, this? Yeah, kinda. I had a sickness when I was a baby and it ended up leaving this." I said, trying to avoid his gaze.  
Nezumi continued to stare at it which started making me even more uncomfortable than I already was. His eyes were much prettier than I would have thought. The gray orbs rested on my cheek till they slowly fell down my neck.  
"Does the scar travel everywhere?"  
I nodded at his question. There was a slight pause when I suddenly thought I heard him whisper "Sexy" I must have heard him wrong, no one has every called me that. Why would they?  
"Excuse me?"  
But the dark haired boy shrugged me off.

"Didn't the teacher send you over here for a reason?" He asked with a hint of amusement.  
My eyes flitted to the notes in my hand. Oh yeah! Quickly I gave Nezumi a run through of what the teacher had told us before he had gotten here then returned to my desk once everything was explained. For some reason I found my palms sweaty and slightly trembling. I glanced at the clock to find we had another hour of this class left.

When the bell finally rang I headed to P.E. only to find Nezumi in that class with me too.  
"You following me?" He asked as I headed towards him.  
"Not trying too."

As the day went on I found out the boy had just moved here from a little farther down state and was an only child. Later at lunch I saw Safu and we talked about our new classes.  
"My history teacher is really boring. All she talked about was how her cat and new dog kept fighting all summer. But all my other teachers seem great. Anyway what about you?" Safu asked. I twiddled with a French fry.  
"They're all fine. My P.E. Teacher seems kinda strict."  
We talked more about school till we ran out of things to say.

"Have you had a good conversation with any of the students? Talking to people is the first step to making new friends." She explained, pointing at me with a ketchup covered fry to make a point.  
"Well.. kinda. I've talked to this boy named Nezumi a few times."  
She looked at me in surprise,  
"That new boy all the girls are talking about?"

People were talking about Nezumi? I guess he was pretty handsome and he did have something about him but I didn't think girls would be all over him already.  
"I guess." I mumbled as I watched her take a bite of the fry.

At the end of my first day I found Nezumi to be in 3 of my 5 classes and Safu to be in one other. Now I only had one class where I didn't know anyone which was luckily only English. Maybe this year would actually turn out ok.


	2. Chapter 2

The next few days passed by quickly. Everyone was busy getting used to the new school and making new friends.   
I hadn't really talked to Nezumi since that first day. We had a few nods of hi in the hallway but that was it. I soon learned Nezumi was the complete opposite of me. He typically sat in the back of the room while I sat in the front. There would always be a girl or two eying him wherever he was. He had already been asked out once even though we had only started school a week ago. Of course he had turned the girl down. Nezumi was usually quiet in class, while I was talkative. He became popular quickly even though he refused to really talk to anyone or make friends.  
I was personally jealous of him. It made me feel bad for feeling this way but why did he get so much attention even though he wasn't even trying? I had tried my while life to make friends and the only one I made was Safu. And she barely counted as an achievement since our parents were friends and we met as babies. I'm not saying she's a bad friend, she means a lot to me and I would never give her up, but I wanted something more.  
I thought about all this on my way to gym class. Nezumi was a few people in front of me carrying his gym clothes in his arms. I had my own stuffed in a bag on my back. We made our way to the boys locker room and quickly got changed. I often got stared at as I did so, with the red streak winding along my body. Especially by Nezumi, which made me oddly more embarrassed than when others looked at me. Another thing I found odd was that Nezumi would only change his shirt after everyone was gone and would end up being the last person out. But I quickly brushed this off.

"Ok people." My gym teacher announced once we were all standing in front of him, "As it is the beginning of the school year we are going to see where all of you are physically. Today you're going to run 3 laps around the school. This will end up being about a mile."   
The students, including myself, let out a groan of disapproval.   
"Oh, unless you want to run 6 laps, get moving!" The teacher finished. Everyone sprinted for the door, not wanting to run more than they already had to.  
After about 1 lap of torture I was already breathing hard and red. I could see everyone up ahead getting farther away.

"Come on slow poke!" One boy behind me yelled, then proceeded to kick my knee from behind. When I fell in the dirt I could see him laugh and run away.   
Jerk.   
I got to my knees and wiped off my face embarrassed at the scene that had just played.

"You ok there?" I heard a voice ask. I looked up to find the gray eyed boy holding a hand out in front of me. Which was graciously accepted.  
"Yeah. Thanks." I mumbled to Nezumi. I brushed off the rest of my body and found my knee scratched up. Luckily it wasn't bad and only hurt a little.

"Ready to keep going?" The boy in front if me asked. I nodded and we started jogging again. Soon I noticed Nezumi wasn't breathing hard and sweating like I was. As if he read my mind he told me,  
"You have to pace yourself. See everyone up ahead? They are all slowing down because they used up all their energy in the beginning." I looked up to see he was right, everyone was slowing down and we were slowly getting closer to them. I gave a grunt of approval, that was all I could do at the time. We kept going at our slower pace. I could tell Nezumi could of gone faster but still stayed behind with me. Soon we had passed the group of red faced students and finished the mile. I stood back by the starting line with my hands on my knees.

"Here." Nezumi said as he passed me a bottle of water.  
"Thanks." I replied. Taking a gulp of it. It tasted like the most refreshing water ever and before I knew it I had chugged it all. Once everyone finished running we returned inside to get changed and go to our next period. Luckily mine was lunch so I didn't have to go to a class all sweaty.

"So which lunch period do you have?" I asked Nezumi as we walked in the changing room.  
"Same as you." He replied.   
I raised my eyebrow.  
"Really? I've never seen you in there. Where do you sit?"  
He chuckled. "Not in the cafeteria."  
I wanted to go on but I had a feeling that was all he was going to tell me. As we opened our lockers I saw him grab his bag and take it to the only bathroom inside the locker room to change in privacy.

Once I was finished he came back out already changed into his regular clothes that consisted of jeans and a dark jacket that revealed a light yellow shirt underneath. We headed out and into the hallway once the bell rang. There was already a thick crowd. Ugh.

"Hey Nezumi, you could come sit with me if you want during lunch. There's only me and my friend Safu so it's not very-" I turned around to find the boy gone.  
Where had he gone? He was just behind me..  
I continued to the cafeteria with the boy still in my mind. As I sat down by Safu, at our regular table in the corner, I almost spilled my tray.  
"Woah, be careful! Your soup almost got on me!" She declared.  
"Sorry" I mumbled.

She continued to fix her skirt and scoot her chair closer to the table. Suddenly a friend of hers from across the cafeteria called her over to come sit with them but Safu denied and told them she was fine where she was. I was glad with her answer but also felt slightly bad. Did she know she didn't have to sit with me? I guess I was pretty much her best friend but I didn't deserve all her time.

"You can if you want you know." I mumbled into my food.  
She looked up at me, "Huh?"  
I pointed at her other friends, "You can go sit with them. They're your friends too. I don't want to make you obligated to sit with me everyday." After I said that I could tell I shouldn't have. Her face turned stern.

"I like sitting here. Why would I choose them over you? You don't talk about boys as much as they do. And I doubt you'll bug me about if my undergarments match. Unless you're some secret pervert." She prodded, smiling.  
I chuckled at her declaration.  
"Haha, ok, ok. Just wanted to make sure you knew." There was a slight awkward silence. "But now that you bring it up, do your undergarments match?" I asked jokingly. At that she stole one of my crackers as punishment.

"No, they don't." She said with a slight blush in her face. We laughed about it till the horrid bell rang again. Today ended being a pretty good day.


	3. Chapter 3

I tried to quickly gather my books from the tiled floor while the 3 boys that had just knocked them down, laughed and turned away.  
And I had officially gone 4 weeks without really being bullied. Life record.  
Once everything was back in my arms I headed to my class that was right after lunch. English. I had neither Nezumi or Safu to talk to there. Well I guess I didn't really talk to Nezumi that much, we still didn't have full conversations and I barely knew anything about him. But still it was the one class I felt alone. Luckily the teacher was one of my moms regular costumers at her bakery so she treated me extra kindly and never gave me a hard time. Today that class passed without trouble and I started heading out the door.

"Shion!" My English teacher stopped me. "Did I hear there was a sale on muffins at your moms bakery?"   
I turned around to face her.  
"Yup! You heard correctly! The chocolate chip ones too." I smiled extra big for her.  
"Oh great! I'll be by later then. Now hurry off to your next class, I don't want to make you late!" She shooed me. I nodded and started heading out.  
"Teachers pet." I heard a girl giggle to her friends from back in the classroom. But this was ignored and I went to Math.

When I arrived Safu was already sitting down in her normal spot. I sat down next to her with a thump. Ever since we were little we had been good at math and actually enjoyed it so by now we had already taken a high school were a step above the rest of the first years in the school. Now we sat surrounded by older students.

The teacher began her lesson on quadratic formulas and how we would be using them in this next lesson. After a few examples on the board we were handed a worksheet to finish with a partner.

"So I saw you in the hall with that boy Nezumi earlier. I thought I heard you talking. Made a new friend?" Safu suddenly asked me. I kept working on a math problem.  
"Kinda. Though I don't know if you could exactly call him a friend. We talk sometimes but really just about school work or something."  
She nodded.  
"Ok. Just wondering. It might just be me but I don't think he's the type of friend you want to make."   
At that I looked up from the worksheet.  
"What? Why?" I asked Safu.  
"I don't know. He's just secretive. Who knows what he does after school. And all the girls are head over heels for him. I would suspect he's probably flirting with them then turning them down when they ask him out."  
My brow creased. What was she saying? Nezumi seemed to be a wonderful person!  
"It's not bad to be secretive," I told her. "It's not like it's harming anyone by not telling them your while life story. And he's not just randomly flirting with girls. He's pretty handsome so I can see why all the girls are just like that around him."  
Now it was Safu's turn to raise an eyebrow at me.  
"Do you have a crush on him?" She asked.   
I sat there dumbfounded.  
"What? No! Why would you think that? And just because I've never had a crush on anyone doesn't mean I'm gay."   
She looked down at her paper and twirled her pencil.

"I know. You just seem to light up when he's around you. You should of seen the way you were smiling when you two were talking in the hallway. Plus when you don't have conversations with many people and then suddenly do, you can create an emotional attachment to that person."  
I thought about what she said for a few seconds before staring back down at my paper.

"No, I do feel.. drawn to him but that doesn't mean I have a crush. Besides I-"

"-afu, Shion!" The teacher yelled at us. "Pay attention and stop talking  
We looked up to find the teacher back at the board trying to go through another problem. To make it worse the math problem on the board was already halfway done. The teacher had been up there for at least a minute and now all the students were staring at us. One girl giggled slightly and I could see some boys with sour looks on their face.  
Crap.

After that awkward class me and Safu parted ways and I headed to my last class of the day. History. There I found myself walking in as soon as the bell rang. I had taken a daring journey to the bathroom between classes. I glanced at where Nezumi usually sat, which was near the back of course, to find someone I didn't know sitting there instead. I sat in my chair and looked around for the gray eyed boy to find him in the desk beside of me.

"Someone steal your spot?" I asked curiously.  
Nezumi looked at me with his unreadable face.  
"Yeah. This was the only other spot I felt like sitting."

After that class ended quickly and with out trouble.

Back at my locker I grabbed my book bag and headed to where the bus would pick me up. Safu was already there. She had been my neighbor for as long as I could remember.

"Hey" she said.  
"Hey"

We sat there for a minute till I suddenly remembered.  
"Crap! I forgot my history book in my locker, do you think I have time to get it? I need it for a quiz tomorrow."   
Safu glanced at her watch.

"You have about 3 minutes till the bus arrives and you know he doesn't wait for people, so hurry."   
As the words left her mouth I sprinted back inside the school.  
2 minutes left I thought as I got to my locker. I put my combination in but must of messed up a number because it wouldn't open. I tried till finally the third time I got it right.  
As I ran out of the school I saw my bus pulling out of the parking lot.

"Gah!" I ran forward a few more steps till I realized I was too late. My bus was already pulling onto Maple street.  
I stood on the sidewalk and figured I would just have to walk home. It was only 2 miles away anyway.

"What are you doing Shion? Don't you ride the bus?" I heard a voice from behind me say.   
Nezumi.   
I turned around to see him watching my bus go down the road. "Oh."

"I had to run back to my locker." I said to the boy, still slightly out of breath. He had a blue book bag slung across one of his shoulders. What was he still doing here? Did he walk home?

"Well how far do you live?" The boy asked.  
"Only about two miles."  
"Anywhere by Polland Park?"  
"Actually yeah. I live in a neighborhood just a couple streets over from there" I replied.  
"Oh really? I live pretty close too. We can walk together if you want."  
My eyes brightened up. "Sure!"

At that Nezumi started walking and I followed close behind him. In total it should be about a 20 minute walk with all the roads.  
"Do you always walk home?" I asked Nezumi.   
He nodded.  
"Do you like it? Riding the bus would be much faster."   
As we headed down the sidewalk Nezumi glanced behind his shoulder,  
"It's quieter and less annoying than riding a bus."  
"Oh" I replied quietly, feeling a little more conscious of myself now.

We walked in silence for about another 5 min. Most of our trip would just be through neighborhood streets. Nezumi walked a few paces ahead of me. I was surprised he knew the way so well even though he just moved here. But I guess you have to if you're walking home everyday. We stopped at a light on one of the more busier roads.  
"So why'd you move here?" I asked him.  
"Heard the school was good." Nezumi replied.   
The light up man appeared telling us we could cross. So we started walking again.  
"That's the only reason you mov-"

"Shion!" I was suddenly pulled to Nezumi's chest roughly as I felt the wind of a car wizz by right where I had been standing. My heart beat loudly as the adrenaline kicked in.  
"Watch where your going!" Nezumi yelled at the person driving away. Then turned to me,  
"Are you ok? That was close." The worry in his voice struck me.

"Y-yeah I'm ok." I answered. Only then did I realize we were still only inches apart and started to feel the heat rising to my cheeks.   
Nezumi noticed and quickly let go of my arms.

"Sorry" he said.  
"No, no, thank you. You just saved my life." I explained.  
He laughed, "Haha, I guess I did. Well let's keep going. There's actually a short cut over here that also gets us off the roads."  
I nodded and we started to trek down the path again.   
Wow. Nezumi really just saved my life I thought. If I had walked home alone I might be dead now. I owed him a lot for that.

The short cut we took was through an overgrown forest. It didn't look like much people ever came back here.  
"Almost there" Nezumi reassured me as I swatted a mosquito away. Once out I could see the lake that sat in the middle of Polland park. Well we had made it without dying.

"Well I go east from here. Think you can make it home on your own?" Nezumi asked me.   
I nodded.  
"Yeah, I think." I said with a smile. "Thanks again for earlier." I added, putting my arms out to give a hug, then realizing my mistake. I had just met this boy! I only said bye to Safu like that. To cover up my awkward attempt at a hug I only put up one hand for him to shake. When he grasped it I was again surprised by him. His hands were super soft. Did he moisturize or something?   
It ended quickly and I said bye one last time as we turned opposite directions to head home.

Once home I immediately texted Safu about what had happened. My mom was still working at the bakery and wouldn't be home for another hour.  
I threw myself on my bed and waited for her reply. My hair hung in front of my eyes as I laid on my stomach. I needed to cut it again.

Once I found the scissors in the back of a cabinet I headed to the bathroom. I had cut my hair many times now. I felt too insecure with a barber. They always asked so many questions once they realized it wasn't dyed.  
Looking in the mirror I slid my hand through the white tufts.   
This had also been a result of the sickness I had had as a baby. I was happy I made it out alive but it made my years of school extra hard. Middle school had been the worst for me. I was endlessly bullied. I lost track at the amount of times I had been beaten up by some of the boys in my school and come home crying. Finally I was homeschooled for one year but ended up going back the next. My mom just didn't have time to teach me since she was supporting us too. She had felt really bad sending me back to school. But when I went back I wasn't bullied as much. Safu was there with me and would scare off anyone who came by. She got me through my middle school years.

As I thought I trimmed my hair, watching little white strands fall into the sink.  
About ten minutes later I was done. I had only cut about an inch off. Better than I used to cut it though, I thought.

I headed back to my room to find Safu had answered my txt earlier.  
'Wow, glad your ok! Good thing Nezumi was there. So he lives around here? Better not tell the girls at our school that.'  
I chuckled at the idea of all the girls at our school wandering around the neighborhood.

Soon my mom was back and I ended my conversation with Safu.  
During dinner I also told my mom what had happened.

"Stupid car. Glad your ok though. So who is this Nezumi? Did you make a new friend?" She asked me.  
I poked at a piece of broccoli on my plate.  
"I guess we're friends now. But he's a quiet boy. Pretty popular with the girls though."   
She hummed a response through a mouthful of chicken.

Later I took a shower and went to bed with a new book in my hands. It was some new young adult romance Safu had begged me to read. On the cover it had a straight white couple almost kissing. Nothing new there. After a few chapters and me finding it was actually an okay book I pulled my covers up and laid on my side to find myself quickly falling asleep. Today had been eventful.


	4. Chapter 4

"Ok everyone, pick a partner!" My science teacher yelled.  
We were supposed to be doing a presentation about DNA and RNA to present to the class in a few days. Why did we have to pick a partner? Couldn't Mr. Brown just assign us to someone?  
I looked around the room. Most people were already paired up. I looked hopefully towards Nezumi's desk. Of course there was a girl standing there. I could see her asking Nezumi to pair up with her and i frowned. She was pretty, of course he would say yes.  
I turned back to my desk. Would the teacher allow me to work by myself? Everyone else already seemed to be paired up. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder.  
"Feel like being my partner?"  
I turned back to find Nezumi there. I could see the girl that had just asked him the same question back at his desk giving me a glare.  
"U-um sure" I stumbled.  
Nezumi pulled up chair across from me and sat down so we could comfortably share my desk.  
"But.. didn't that girl just ask you?" I asked, motioning my head towards her.  
He looked back towards the girl to see her already with another one of her friends.  
"Eh she found another partner." He said blankly looking back at me.   
Did he really want to be my partner? I couldn't help but feel little bubble of happiness grow inside of me.  
I smiled at him.   
"Ok"

"So do you just want to make a poster? That seems to be the easiest option. Though I'm not very artistic" I told the gray eyed boy.  
"Sure. And I can make it if you want. And you can find the information we need to put on it." He offered me.  
"Sure! That seems good." I answered.

The rest of class time I worked on getting the info while he designed the layout of our board. There were a few times I would look up from my science book to see him completely focused on the design. He had his lips pressed together in concentration and a pencil that glided across the paper with fluid movements. One side of his bangs hung in front of him while the other rested behind his ear. He really was beautiful. After a minute I realized I had been watching him way to long and stuck my nose back into the book in front of me.  
What was I thinking? I shouldn't be calling another boy beautiful. Hopefully he hadn't realized me staring at him.

The bell rang. We had gotten a good amount of work done. Me and Nezumi headed to gym together side by side. On the way I passed Safu and she gave me a curious look. Once we reached the locker room I quickly got changed. Nezumi still stood in the corner waiting for everyone to leave to change his shirt.   
Why did he do that? He pretended to be busy while he waited. Soon I walked out the door with a few other boys and stood in the line the gym teacher always made us stand in. Suddenly I realized I had forgotten to put on my gym shoes.

"Oh! I'll be right back" I said to no one in particular. I still had a minute before the teacher would start. I ran inside and opened the door and there stood Nezumi. He was shirtless, his back faced towards me. I could see a big burn scar run from his shoulder down to his lower back. How did that happen? You could tell it was pretty old but must have been painful to leave that kind of mark. The door closed behind me with a little bang.

"Oi!" Nezumi yelled. Surprised, he turned around.

"Sorry, it's just me." I said to him. He seemed almost more nervous when he noticed it was just me. He quickly slid his shirt on and headed out the door with a sour look on his face.   
Crap, had I made him mad? He probably didn't want anyone to see that. I threw on my gym shoes and headed out the door again. Nezumi was standing in line. Refusing to look at me as I stood next to him.

"Alright. Today we will be getting into groups of 4 and going to different stations for 5 minute workouts. After those five minutes are up you'll hear a whistle," the teacher proceeded to blow his whistle to demonstrate, "then you'll switch to the next station! Got it? Ok I'll pair you off."  
He walked down the line of students till he got to the end where I was. "Shion, Nezumi, Travis, and Carl. You go to station 1 first. Steven, Olivia, Hailey, and Jacob, you go to station 2..." And so on.   
I looked over at my little group. Nezumi was staring out at the wall beside him. Travis and Carl gave me a quick wave that I returned. They were both quiet boys I recognized from my English class. They seemed like good friends.   
We headed as a group to station 1. Jumping jacks. When the teacher blew his whistle we started.   
1...2...3...4...5...  
I glanced over at Nezumi. He still hadn't met my eyes after the little locker room incident. Had I made him that mad? It couldn't be that much of a problem could it? He's seen my scar. Well everyone pretty much see's my scar.  
When we heard the whistle again we stopped and went to station 2. Sit-ups. After a while we had made it to station 5. Stretches. We were supposed to do them with a partner. Travis and Carl immediately paired up and started stretching. I looked at Nezumi.

"Better start before we get yelled at." He told me. He grabbed my shoulder to lean on me and stretched his leg. I did the same. He kept his eyes on his shoe.

"I'm sorry." I whispered. When he nodded his head I continued. "I won't tell anyone. I don't really have anyone to tell anyway and why would I?" He stood there quietly while he switched legs.

"Ok." He finally said. There were a few more moments of silence. He was still looking down. Not daring to meet my eyes.  
"We all have our own scars, right?" I told him with a smile. At that he looked up, a mixture of emotions on his face.

"...Yeah I guess we do." I felt his eyes drift to the red mark on my cheek then quickly flick back down to his foot. We finished stretching in silence right as the whistle was blown again. There was a lighter feeling between us now. A little more happier and not as rigid. At the next few stations Nezumi would give me little words of encouragement. Even a little chuckle at one point when I fell from a failed handstand.

Back in the locker room I got changed. No one was in the bathroom this time so Nezumi got changed in there. When I closed up my gym locker Nezumi was there waiting for me.

"Wanna sit with me during lunch?" He asked. I turned around to face him. Everyone else had already left the locker room. I was surprised at his question. I had been wondering where he sat for about a month now.  
"Really?" I asked.   
He nodded.   
"Yeah! But I need to get my food from the cafeteria first." I explained.  
"I do too"

We stood in line and ended up both getting potato soup. Once I paid I saw Safu at our regular table. I turned towards Nezumi.  
"I need to tell my friend I won't be sitting with her today."   
He nodded and waited for me by the cafeteria door. I hurried over to Safu.

"Hey, Nezumi asked if I could sit with him today. You don't mind, right?"  
She looked up at me with a smirk on her face.  
"Not at all! Go have fun. My other friends actually wanted me to sit with them too. They'll be excited to know I will today." She smiled at me and shooed me off.  
"Thanks." I told her. Right before I turned around she gave me a little wink. I shook my head as I remembered her question she had asked a while ago,  
'You don't have a crush on Nezumi right?'   
Of course I didn't! He was just a really cool, handsome guy I admired.   
I ran back to the gray eyed boy at the door. He was quiet as he led me out of the cafeteria.  
"Girlfriend?" He asked when we were in the hallway. I glanced over at him.  
"Huh? Oh haha, no way. Good friend. Our parents were high school buddies so I met her a long time ago."  
He nodded almost enthusiastically as we headed down another hallway.   
Where was he going?

"Ready to see where I go during lunch?" He asked.   
I nodded my head, wishing for him to show me already. He took me through a door that said 'Staff only'  
"Uh, Nezumi are you sure we should be-"  
"Shh" he said, pressing a finger to my lips. That definitely shut me up.   
We walked through and met a dark metal staircase. As we walked up it I could hear faint voices coming from somewhere but there were curtains all around us so I couldn't see.

"Where are we?" I whispered. He shot me a glance and kept walking. Finally after a few more flights of stairs we came to a long platform. There, one side of the curtains was open and I could see a large stage beneath us. Rows and rows of chairs lined the space beyond it.   
The auditorium? People were below us practicing for a play.

Nezumi sat down on the platform high above everyone. There was little light high up. The stage lights sat below us pointing at the people performing. There was no way they would be able to see us.

"Wow" I said. "So this is where you come everyday?" I sat down next to Nezumi with the tray in my lap.  
"Yup." He said through a bite of cracker.

We sat up there in silence while listening to the people below.

"What are they practicing?" I asked Nezumi quietly.  
"Romeo and Juliet for the school play. They are on act 2. The famous balcony scene." He told me.  
I looked down at a girl standing on a makeshift balcony. A boy was below her.

"My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's utterance, yet I know the sound: Art thou not Romeo and a Montague?" The girl said. I listened to the strange words. They seemed familiar. Maybe I had read the book for a class once.   
I glanced up to Nezumi and found him mouthing the words right as they were said below. He stared at them, totally absorbed. He knew it? I watched for a little while longer.  
"You know the play?" I finally asked.  
He stopped what he was doing and looked to me.  
"Yeah. I'm.. A pretty big fan of Shakespeare's stuff." He said taking a sip of the soup on his tray.  
"Cool"

A little while later the bell was about to ring to signal that lunch would be over soon.

"We better get going." Nezumi told me. He stood up with his tray and reached for my hand. I let him help me up and we started down the stairs. That was cool. Who knew Nezumi would be into stuff like that. I felt special knowing I was probably the only one who knew his little secret.   
Suddenly Nezumi pushed me into a room beside us and closed the door quickly. It was tiny and his body was flush up against mine. The cool wall behind me sent little shivers down my spine.  
"Nezumi what are you-!"  
He covered my mouth with his hand. Then I heard it. Little voices came from outside the door.  
"I know I saw him come through that door!" One girl practically yelled.  
"Are you sure? Why would Nezumi come up here?" Another girl said.  
"I don't know. But no one really knows anything about him. Maybe he has something for dark staircases." Girl one replied, giggling.

After a few seconds of listening to the girls I become hyper aware of Nezumi's body so close to me. I was glad it was dark so he couldn't see my red cheeks. He breathed quietly and had his head turned to the side to listen out the door. His hands sat on either side of me, flat against the wall.

"We better just go. The bell's going to ring soon and I'll get in trouble if I'm late again." Said a girl.  
"Fine." Said the other.   
We listened to them head down the stairs. Once they were a safe distance away Nezumi turned to face me.

"Sorry for that. I heard them coming and didn't want to be found ou-" he stopped as he looked at my face. Apparently there was just enough light for him to see me blushing like a little school girl. He gave a little smirk that caused my heart to beat even faster.

"S-stop. C'mon let's go. I don't want to be late." I told him, refusing to look him in the eyes.   
I could tell he was still staring at me with the same smirk. He was enjoying this! My cheeks grew even redder.

"Haha, oh Shion. Not used to being so close to someone are we?" Nezumi chuckled, bringing a hand to my jaw so I would face him. He pushed even closer that brought out a short gasp from my lips. I struggled and tried my best not to meet his eyes.  
"N- No! I-I just" suddenly the bell rang.  
"We need to go." I told him.

At that he let go of my jaw and opened the door, I hurried out, pushing past him. I tried to calm the burning in my face as I hurried down the stairs. Nezumi followed close behind me. I could practically hear the smirk still playing on his lips. I cracked open the door that said 'staff only' and snuck out into the hallway, blending into the crowd. What had just happened? Why did I have to blush that hard? It's not like Nezumi was really doing anything. I walked to English in a trance. Only when I was sitting at my desk did I realize I had forgotten all my books and still had my lunch tray in my hand.

"You sure you're ok Shion?" Safu asked me during math.  
"Yeah! Why would you think I'm not?" I asked her. She looked at me with a cocked eyebrow.  
"What?" I asked defensively. She chuckled at me.  
"You're totally love struck."  
"What?! No I'm not!" How could I be in love? She looked back at her worksheet.

"Uh huh." Safu said sarcastically. "He's all you ever talk about nowadays. And considering from what you just told me, about how he pushed you in a closet, I'm pretty sure he might like you too."   
I looked at her with my mouth agape. I wasn't in love with Nezumi! And he hadn't exactly just pushed me in a closet for no reason. She needed to stop accusing me. But I was done trying to convince her. Once she was set on something she would never let it go. I turned back to my work so I could finish and not have to do it for homework tonight.

My next class I had with Nezumi. It was the one class he actually sat next to me in. When I sat down he was already there. The teacher began before I could say anything.

Class kept going without trouble. I didn't dare look over his way, afraid I would meet his eyes and start blushing again. When that bell rang again I quickly gathered my stuff and headed towards the door. From the corner of my eye I could see Nezumi back by his desk with a girl in front of him. Was she asking him out? That would be the third time this week just from what I had seen.

At that moment I very gracefully ran into the wall next to the door and fell to my butt. Whoops. My books flew everywhere. By the time I had picked up one Nezumi was already at my side helping me gather my stuff up.

"Thanks" I told him. My voice was quiet and I hoped he had heard me.

"You're welcome your majesty." He said as he got on a knee , my books were placed in his outstretched palms. I quickly grabbed them, my face probably even redder than before.  
"Get up, you don't need to do that." I told him.   
He gazed up at me with the same smirk as before planted on his lips.  
"Ok, your majesty."   
He stood up and turned away, embarrassed at his words. The girl that had just confessed to Nezumi stood back with her mouth open in a slight O. She closed it and purposefully bumped into me and him on the way out.  
"Gay." She whispered. We watched her go out.   
As she passed a clock I realized the time.  
"Crap! I need to go catch the bus." I told the gray eyed boy.  
"Ok. See ya' tomorrow." He replied.

As I walked out into the hallway I could feel his eyes on my back. Well today had been exciting.


	5. Chapter 5

It was only when I sat down in science class did I realize the poster board me and Nezumi were supposed to work on was still sitting in my house. Today was our last day before the presentation we had to give tomorrow. Why did I have to be so forgetful?!  
I laid my head on the desk as Nezumi pulled up a chair.

"I totally forgot it."  
"What?"  
"The board. It's laying on my kitchen counter. I would ask my mom to just bring it here but she's working right now." I looked up at him with my head still resting on my desk.  
"Sorry" I said apologetically.  
I felt bad for not remembering it. What were we going to do now? Could the teacher give us an extra day?   
Nezumi tried to pat down a little cowlick that sat on top of my head making me glance up suddenly at him.  
"It's fine." He told me. "We can just meet up after school."  
I sat up at the idea, the little tuft of hair Nezumi was trying to pat down shot right back up.  
"That would work!" Why hadn't I thought of that sooner? "You can come to my house, I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind."  
"Sounds good." He told me. A little smile sat on his face.

Since we had nothing to do the rest of class time we sat across from each other reading books. I had brought a book Safu had recommended me that apparently had something to do with the color gray. She had given it to me with a laugh but said it was really good and gave extraordinary detail. I was only a couple pages in. What did she think was so good about it?

"So your into those kind of books? Wow Shion, you surprise me everyday." Nezumi said from across my desk. He didn't look up from his own novel.  
"What do you mean? My friend have it to me, is there something wrong with it?" I asked him.  
He glanced up at me and gave a chuckle.  
"Go to page 430. Or any page later in the book really."  
I gave him a confused look before quickly flipped to the page and reading. Not ten seconds had passed till I closed it and slammed it down on the desk.  
"Stupid Safu." I mumbled with a slight blush.  
Nezumi laughed at my reaction, closing his own book and setting it next to mine.  
"Couldn't get through even a page of Christian and Anastasia doing it?"  
I looked down at the horrid book again. Why couldn't it be about actual shades of gray? Even that would be better than... that.  
"No. I'll have to talk to Safu about that." Suddenly I realized. "Wait, have you read it before?"  
He picked his book back up, winking at me before he started reading again. That was probably the only answer I was going to get.

"So do you just want to ride the bus with me to my house?" I asked a little while later. I tried to sound calm while I was actually bursting from excitement in the inside.  
He glanced at me curiously then realized what I meant.  
"Oh, for the project? Sure. Why not."  
I smiled at his agreement. He would be the first friend I ever brought to my house, besides Safu. This was going to be great.

 

Nezumi sat squeezed in between me and Safu on the tiny bus seat. Safu kept giving me little looks and winks when he wasn't looking. I wanted to hit her so badly.. Around us was craziness. People yelled to each other when they were just a foot away and the occasional paper airplane or note was thrown in the air. Nezumi turned his head to face me, giving me a look that said he would of much rather walked home then deal with this.

"Don't worry, we're almost there" I reassured him. He turned back around just in time for a piece of paper to hit him in the face. A yell of sorry came from a few seats behind us.   
Nezumi groaned as I gave a little chuckle.

The three of us finally got off at our stop. The bus took off as soon as we touched the ground, leaving a trail of smoke for us to so kindly breath in.  
"Never-" Nezumi coughed "-i'm not riding that ever again."  
Safu readjusted her book back on her shoulders and started walking.

"Well I'll just be a house over, call me if you need any help!" she yelled at us. "Oh and have fuun." She ended, drawing out the word fun. At that she turned around to head up her driveway.   
I faced Nezumi with a sorry look on my face.

"She's a weirdo. Anyway come on."   
I grabbed his arm and we headed up to the door. It was a little two story house with lots of windows on the main floor. As I opened the door I was greeted with the smell of bread. A permanent scent I didn't believe would ever go away.  
Nezumi sniffed the air as I closed the door behind us.  
"That smells good."  
"Yeah my mom works at a bakery. She'll be back in about an hour. If we're lucky she'll bring us some left over snacks."  
I walked over to the kitchen as Nezumi looked around the living room. The poster for our project sat in the same place it had this morning. I picked it up and headed back out to Nezumi.  
"The markers and stuff are up stairs in my room. Wanna finish this there?" I asked lifting the blank poster up slightly.  
"Sure."

"Ok the sugar, phosphate and base equal to one nucleotide." I said, taking off my light blue cardigan and leaving me in a button down shirt.  
I rattled off the information we needed as he wrote or drew it down while sitting on my floor.  
"Humans have 46 chromosomes." I said, handing him a sharpener for a pencil he accidentally broke.  
"That is a pretty main and important fact so we should probably put it near the top or something."

Nezumi worked on the poster. He was surprisingly quite good at designing it. He was also a fast worker, it hadn't been long and we were already almost done.  
"We need to put our names and teacher on the back." I said to him as I read off the requirements sheet.  
He hummed a response back just as he had whenever I told him something else.  
"Our teacher is Mr. Brown right?" He asked, glancing up at me.  
I laughed, "Yeah. You've had him for a month now and you still don't know his name?"  
I walked over to where he sat on the ground, bending over to pick up the markers he was done with.  
"I don't pay attention in that class very well." He told me, finishing with the names and handing me the black marker he had been using. I put it in the marker tub then continued to set it on my desk.

"Why not?" I asked, swinging back around to face him. Of course I had forgotten there was a chair right where I was turning and ended up starting to fully fall forward.  
"Because you're always- woah!" Nezumi said from the floor as he saw me falling towards him. He grabbed me as I fell on him, managing to still sit up somewhat straight as he took my weight.  
"S-sorry!" I tried to say as I scrambled to sit up so I wasn't totally against him.   
Then I was able to see the position we were in which made me pause.  
His legs were between my knees that sat on either of his sides. My hands rested on his chest only a few inches closer than the rest if my body. One of his hands was cupping my head while the other laid flat across my back. I was totally straddling him. It reminded me of when I was little and my mom would let me swing with her 'spider style' expect me and Nezumi weren't on a swing. We were sitting on my bedroom floor.

"As I said before, you surprise me every day Shion." Nezumi said from a few inches in front of me.  
"S-sorry!" I said a little louder as I tried to sit up, only to fall back down as Nezumi lightly pushed me towards him.  
"You're warm" was all he said as my face laid in the crook of his neck.

I was overwhelmed with the scent of pine and honey that radiated off him. Being so close to him set my nerves flying. He held me gently against his shoulder, one hand still cupping my head as the other rested on my back.  
"Wh-what are you d-doing?" I mumbled into his shirt after a few seconds had passed.  
"Holding you."  
My heart jumped at the blank answer. The smell of pine and honey captured me again. It was a warm welcoming smell. Something I imagined a house out in the woods would smell like. I let my nose squash a tiny bit closer to him as my body relaxed, breathing it in.  
As he felt me loosen up the hand pressed against my back slowly lifted any weight it had being pushing against me. It still laid there on top of my button down shirt but with no pressure keeping me to him.  
Nezumi nuzzled his head into me a little more and let out a sigh. I was so confused at what he was doing.   
His thumb started drawing tiny circles on my back. No one had ever touched me like this. My insides started feeling as if they had turned to jelly. Did friends normally do this?

The front door banged shut as a voice yelled up,  
"Shion, I'm home!"

I practically threw myself off of Nezumi.  
I was flushed and light headed. What was I doing?  
"Shion?" The voice yelled again  
"H-hey mom! I'm up stairs!" I yelled, picking up the finished poster board that still sat on the floor. Nezumi stood up.

"Well I better go say hi to your mom. She doesn't know I'm here yet, right?"   
He said it as though nothing had just happened between us. That wasn't just some kind of weird vivid imagination right?  
I nodded to him, not looking at his face.   
I started down the stairs with Nezumi following me. I could hear my mom in the kitchen.

"Oh and mom, I brought a friend over so we could finish a project." I said loudly.  
The noise she made was the most embarrassing thing ever.  
"Oh!? A friend? Who is it?" She ran over to us right as we made it to the last stair. She looked past me and saw the gray eyed boy.  
"Oh hello!"  
Nezumi brushed by me a shook her hand.  
"Hi Misses..." He waited for her to tell him what to call her.  
"Oh just call me Karan." She laughed.  
"Oh well hi, Karan. I'm Nezumi." He let go of her hand with a smile on his face.  
She smiled back at the new boy then faced us both.  
"So you're working on a project?"  
"Yeah, we actually just finished."  
"Oh good. Want some doughnuts?" She asked, already knowing our answer.  
"Yeah!"

Me and Nezumi sat next to each other at the dinner table eating my moms doughnuts she brought back from work. My mom started unloading the dishwasher. It was delicious.

"You got something... Right..there." Nezumi pointed to my face which had chocolate smeared on the side. I took my sleeve and tried to wipe it off.  
"Better?" I asked.  
Nezumi grinned. "All you did was smear it. Here." He continued to take a napkin laying beside him and dab at my cheek. When it wouldn't come off he put a little more pressure to it. He accidentally rubbed it against my pink scar.   
I squinted at the discomfort. That place was extra sensitive.

"Sorry, I didn't know that would hurt." he said as he saw me flinch at it. He finished more carefully.  
"It's fine." I said quietly. "It didn't exactly hurt."  
He threw the chocolate covered napkin in the garbage, almost not making it.

From the counter my mom lightly giggled.  
"What?" I asked her.  
"Oh nothing." She replied with another one of her smiles.

Shortly after that Nezumi headed home despite my moms wishes for him to stay for dinner.  
"No, but thank you, I'd love to stay but I really need to head home." He told us. Even he sounded disappointed he had to leave.  
"Do you want me to give you a ride?" My mom asked him.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you again!" And with that he went out the door.  
He was so confusing.

That night I watched tv. I loved seeing all kinds of shows. Each one was always different and taught me things I never knew.

After about two hours I took a shower and headed to my room. I rubbed a towel on my head as I opened the door. A cold breeze caught me by surprise. I had left the window open.   
I peeked outside before I shut it. It was pouring. I could hear the rain coming down in waves as it hit the sidewalk. When had that started? I closed and locked the window with a click and headed to bed.

My mind wandered to the events that happened earlier. I looked at my floor where me and Nezumi had sat. The memory of him holding me sent shivers down my spine. Was Safu right? I did feel.. Drawn to him, but did I like him like that? All I could remember was the warm feeling in my chest when we had hugged. With that memory in my mind I fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day me and Nezumi presented our poster.   
I talked as he held the board up to the class. Since I had memorized all the facts I didn't have to look back once. Which was probably a good thing because if I saw Nezumi's face I'd probably end up messing something up.

At the end of class the teacher handed us our grade with a little note beside it.  
'100% Great job guys! You work really well together'  
I smiled down at the paper. Me and Nezumi worked well together? That alone made me happy.

During lunch I sat with Nezumi half the time and Safu the other. It was hard having two friends. How was I supposed to be with both of them at the same time? I didn't understand how popular people could stand it.

While sitting with Nezumi we did nothing but watch the play go on beneath us. He seemed really into this Romeo and Juliet scene. But it came across pretty violent to me. Why did Romeo have to stab himself? Did love really do that to you? Being like that sounded horrible.  
I sat there on the cat walk for 20 minutes, not doing anything else. I personally wanted to stay there longer with Nezumi but I knew Safu would be waiting for me.  
After a while I finally said bye and headed to the cafeteria.

"So how was your date?" Safu asked me as soon as I sat down.  
"What?" I asked, giving her a confused look.  
Safu glanced at me with a look of pure mischief.  
"Your date with Nezumi at your house of course."  
I blushed at her accusation.  
"Th-that wasn't a date!" I stuttered out  
As soon as I said that I remembered our little incident on my bedroom floor and turned even more red.  
Safu looked at me curiously. "Did something happen between you two?"   
She read me too well.  
I looked at my clasped hands, trying not to fidget too much.  
"Well, I don't know if you would really call it something serious but well, something did happen."  
She leaned forward with a new gleam in her eyes, only causing me to lean away from her.   
"Really?! Tell me everything" she demanded.   
Everything?  
"Well you see, I had tripped and well Nezumi caught me. It wasn't that big of a deal. I mean we did kinda stay like that for a minute or two but-"  
"Wait." She stopped me. "What kind of position were you two in?"   
I looked up at her with a desperate expression. What was with her? But she wasn't backing down.  
"Well we were on the ground. I was kinda sitting on his lap."  
Her eyes brightened even more.  
Was she possessed?  
"Where were both of your hands?"  
I stared back down at my lap. Where were our hands?  
"Well mine were kinda resting on his chest and his were more resting on my back."  
"How many inches were your-"  
Brnnggg!  
The bell.  
I had never been more happy to hear it in my life.

The last class of the day ended without anything exciting happening. Nezumi and me were waking to our lockers to get our stuff.  
Suddenly a girl bumped, well more pushed, into me which almost knocked me over.  
"Ah-uh sorry." I said to her as she walked away.  
Nezumi shot her a dirty glance. Wasn't that one of the girls Nezumi had refused? Maybe she didn't like me.  
"Oh yeah, Nezumi, I'm staying after school for about 15 minutes to help the principal. I think I'll just be hanging posters for the dance coming up but do you wanna help me? Then we can walk home together if you want."  
We turned into another hallway, where our lockers were at.  
"Sure." was all he said.  
"Sounds good" I told him with a smile.  
I was going to walk with Nezumi again today!

We only had 30 copies to tape to the wall. This was going to be easier than I thought.  
"Do you want to take 15 of these and hang them around the west side of school? I'll take the rest and do the same to the east." I asked.  
Nezumi counted the sheets of paper and split them.  
"Yeah, then I'll meet you outside by the stop sign?" He asked.  
I nodded in agreement and we walked our separate ways. It was sometimes good to get alone time. It let me think without being bothered.  
Before I knew it my stack was gone. That couldn't of been 15 could it? Maybe Nezumi had taken more.  
A little confused I headed outside. Nezumi wasn't by the stop sign yet, but a different boy was. He seemed familiar. Did I know him from somewhere? He turned around, hearing me approach.  
"Oh, Shion! Hey bud." He yelled.  
So he did know me? I still didn't know where I knew him from but played along, not wanting to be rude.  
"O-oh hey!"  
The tall boy took a few steps closer to me.  
"I have somethin' to show you, follow me?" He said, motioning a finger for me to follow.  
"Oh I'm good. I'm actually waiting for someone here." I told him.  
"Oh your fine, it'll only take a sec." With that one he grabbed my arms and started guiding me across the street.  
"Wh-where are we going?" I asked. Nezumi should be here any second, I didn't want to keep him waiting.  
"Oh just over here." He said again while glancing over his shoulder. They led me into a little alley just across the school.  
"Yip!"  
I looked down the dark alley way to see a box. But not just a box, it was full of puppies.   
So that's what they wanted to show me!  
He let go of my arms as I ran to the little fur balls, squatting on the ground in front of couldn't of been more than a month old. Where was their mother?  
Suddenly something kicked me in the side, sending me toppling over. The pain in my ribs blocked out everything for a second. Then I looked up. The the boy stood there with an angry look on his face. What was he doing?   
Through my fuzzy vision I started remembering where i thought I knew him. He had been in my 6th grade class. This almost exact scene had happened there too. But he was a lot younger back then and looked a lot different now.  
A foot kicked me in the side again.  
"That's for my ex-girlfriend!" He yelled. I curled into a ball. I would of tried to get up but the pain was too much.  
A foot came again, this time hitting me in the back of the head.  
"And when you got me suspended for cheating!" The boy yelled.  
I remembered from a long time ago a teacher coming up to me with two tests that were exactly the same. One of then had been mine. He had asked me if the boy beside me had cheated, which he had. This was the boy from then?  
"Stop" I whimpered. "That wasn't on purpo- Agh!"  
Another kick came. Followed by another. I curled into a tighter ball trying to escape from it. More words came from above, spitting more mean things but I couldn't really make them out anymore. Why was he attacking me now after so long? Did I really do something bad?  
I could feel pain everywhere. I needed to get away, but how? I saw stars as another kick landed on my head.   
I waited for another one but never got it. Had they left?   
Then I heard someone get punched. That sounded painful. My mind drifted in and out of consciousness. Then I felt a hand gently shake me.  
"Shion?" It whispered.  
Nezumi.  
I was so happy he was here. But where had the boy gone? I opened my eyes, his beautiful face slowly become less blurry.  
"Hey" I whimpered softly. The pain was slowly lessening.  
Nezumi gave me a worried look.  
"God. We need to get you home." He told me. He carefully lifted me up to a standing position.   
My legs were weak and I wobbled unsteadily on them. Suddenly I felt myself be lifted off the ground and placed in Nezumi's arms being carried princess style.  
"Idiot. You shouldn't follow people into dark alleys." He told me as he walked away. I lightly smiled up at him.  
"Ok."  
I snuggled closer in his arms, the mixture of pine and honey made me sleepy.

He carried me back to my house. I wondered if anyone gave us weird looks as we made our way. You didn't usually see a boy being carried down the street. He opened my front door with me still in his arms and carried me to my bedroom. Carefully he laid me down on my bed.  
"I'll go get some medicine for you." He said as he smoothed some hair away from my face. Once I nodded he left. The pain was dying down but my head was still pounding and my sides throbbed. I closed my eyes, waiting for Nezumi to come back up stairs.

 

Nezumi's POV

Shion was really such and idiot sometimes. You don't just follow someone into a dark alley! I grabbed the bundle of supplies I had collected and headed back to his room. His skinny body laid on the bed. Was he asleep?  
"Oi, Shion."  
He cracked open his eyes, his white hair splayed around his head.  
"Nezumi we need to go back." He whispered.  
I set the stuff down on his bed beside him. "Back where?"  
I put my hand on his back, helping him sit up.  
"The alley. There were abandoned puppies there, we need to go get them." He finished, staring at me through an already swollen eye.  
Of course. The puppies. I barely remembered seeing them but had definitely heard them barking.  
"Shion" I laughed, he was so cute. "once you feel better we can. Right now let's just worry about you."  
He looked down, very disappointed.  
I grabbed a wet towel and wiped the little bit if dried blood off of his forehead. When I had seen him being beaten up I was furious. The the boy had run away as soon as I had I thrown a punch.   
How dare they do this to Shion! Now I was mostly mad at Shion for not staying by the stop sign.   
I gave him a cup of water and made him swallow some Advil.  
"Now arms up, I need to check your ribs."  
He followed my directions and I lifted his cardigan off his torso then unbuttoned the shirt beneath it.   
He was quite pale. The pink scar he had wrapped around chest, taunting me to touch it. It looked quite sexy.  
I did like Shion, I'll admit it. Though he was too stupid to notice. He was so innocent and never cared about himself before others.  
I loved those things about him though.  
I shook my thoughts away and focused on his injuries. There were little bruises appearing around his side. I felt his ribs for anything broken. Didn't seem like it. One or two might of been bruised though.  
I made him put a clean shirt back on.  
His mom would be here soon right? I would have to tell her what happened.  
"Ok Shion you rest."  
He nodded his head and slipped under his covers, ending up only having his head peeking out.  
"Thank you" he whispered to me as his eyes closed.  
I softly sighed as I stared at him before leaning down and pressing a light kiss to his forehead.  
"Your welcome."

 

Shion's POV

A few hours later I woke up. Or I would assume it was a few hours. The sun was starting to set and the sky was painted purple and blue.   
I sat up. Surprisingly there was barely any pain anymore. The only thing that really hurt was when I touched my sides.  
I remembered Nezumi's hands on me, carrying me over here and drifting down my sides to find bruises. It sent little trembles through me. Was he still here? I got up out of bed and walked downstairs.  
"Shion, you're awake!" My mom said upon seeing me. She ran over to me from the kitchen. I didn't see Nezumi anywhere.  
"How are you feeling, where does it hurt most? Nezumi told me everything, I can't believe someone attacked you!"   
She lightly ran her fingers across me.  
"Mom, I'm fine. I actually don't hurt that bad." I gave her a little hug to calm her down. She squeezed me carefully.  
"Thank goodness. Nezumi left just left a little while ago. He takes such good care if you. Are you hungry? I have some soup ready"  
I nodded and she led me to the kitchen.

As I ate and slurped up the soup she asked me many more questions. It was getting tiring. But I knew she was worried so I answered every one of them.  
"I was actually supposed to go somewhere next week, but I need to stay with you. I'll just decline."  
My head lifted at the new info.  
"Wait, where were you going?"  
She shook her head.  
"I got a call from the city by this chef. He wants me to work with him all next week. I said yes but I'll just say no now, I want to watch out for you. It's not a huge deal."  
She got a call from a chef? I knew she was always hoping to learn more skills from different bakers. She would love that!  
"Oh don't worry about me, you go! It would be really fun for you. We're off school anyway for 3 days next week because of teacher meetings. I can even have Safu stay over here if you want."  
I could see her eyes light up a little at the idea. She really wanted to go.  
"Are you sure?" She asked.  
I nodded.  
"Ok I guess. But only as long as someone stays with you over the week."  
I smiled at her agreement.  
"Yup. I'll talk to Safu tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

The next day I went to school despite my moms wishes. It was Friday, I wouldn't get to go to school for the next 5 days since we had days off and I didn't want to miss any assignments. When I looked in the mirror that morning I was surprised to see I really only had a cut on my forehead. The rest of the bruises or scrapes were covered by my shirt. At least I wouldn't be asked all day what had happened.

"Sorry Shion, I really can't stay over. My great grandpa just died and me and my parents are going to a family gathering because of it all next week." Safu said, sitting next to me at the lunch table. She looked sad, she wanted to stay with me. Especially since I just got beat up the day before.  
"Your great grandpa died? Oh I'm so sorry!"   
I couldn't take her away from that. Would my mom just have to decline?  
"Oh it's fine," she said, "I didn't even know him. I don't even want to go. There's just going to be tears and hugging the whole time."  
Safu took a bite of her sandwich.  
"But does your mom really need someone staying with you in order for her to go?" She asked through a mouthful.  
"Sadly, yes"  
I stared at a biscuit on my tray while Safu took another bite, staring at me.  
"You know, Nezumi could just stay with you. Your mom leaves Sunday and gets back Saturday right? That's 6 days. Nezumi probably wouldn't mind."  
My eyes shot back up at her.   
Nezumi? Staying at my house? Living with me for a whole week?   
The idea made me excited more than it should have.  
"Do you think he could?" I asked. The wanting in my voice didn't go unnoticed.  
She looked at me sideways with a little snicker.  
"Of course. Maybe while he's there you could ask him on a date."  
At that an image of me and Nezumi holding hands at a movie passed my mind and many..other things.  
"A d-date?"   
It was true I finally had told myself I liked him but I still wasn't sure how. Was it just as a good friend I admired? Or maybe...  
"Of course a date. Seriously, you should ask him." Safu urged.  
She saw me pondering it. "And you know what, I'm gonna stop by your house today and give you some books."  
I gave a little pout. "Not more of those Gray books, right?"  
She laughed, "No, they're quite different, they don't have an 'r', if you know what I mean."  
She got up to throw her trash away, leaving me confused.

Later during my last class I asked Nezumi if he would stay over at my house while my mom was away. I ended up explaining the whole situation to him.  
He said yes really quickly.  
"You sure you don't need to even ask your parents first?"  
Nezumi stiffened in his seat,  
"No. It'll be fine."  
I smiled.  
I had a feeling next week was going to be great.

That day we walked home again. Mostly because I wanted to check on the puppies.   
They were in the same spot I had seen them yesterday. Still no mother.  
"Do you know how far away the animal shelter is?" I asked Nezumi while being attacked by the fur balls. He was leaning against the wall a few feet away, the dark lighting giving his face a compelling glow.  
"Not too far from where we're headed. Did you want to drop them off?" He asked, glancing at the pups in my arms.  
I laughed as they pounced on me, almost knocking me down.   
"Hehe- yeah"

Me and Nezumi both carried two of them. I smiled at the way Nezumi would scrunch up his face every time one licked him.   
They sure were cute.  
When we dropped them off it was hard to say good bye. I really wanted to take them home with me but we were renting a house and the owner sadly didn't allow pets. At least they'd find homes now.  
"Well see ya Sunday." Nezumi said as we split up at the park.  
"Yup, see ya"  
I could barely contain my excitement for when he would come over. But what do you do for a whole week with someone?

When I opened my bedroom door I noticed that Safu had already come over to drop off the books she had mentioned. There were about ten sitting on my desk. As I went over I could see they had pictures on the front. Comic books?   
No. Manga.   
I could see some Japanese writing on the front. Why did she want me to read these?  
I opened the one that was apparently the first of the series. It had two guys on the front page.  
I sat on my bed and started reading. It seemed interesting. One guy was a doctor.

As I read on I got a weird feeling. Were these guys gay?   
Suddenly they were kissing.   
Really Safu? Why did she want me to read these. That alone, why did she have them?   
I glanced down again. Things were starting to heat up. I could feel myself slowly sinking into the covers. I didn't want anyone to see me reading this. It was so wrong. But it was.. Interesting.  
So that's how guys did it? I guess I had already known but I didn't really ever think how it would possibly feel.. Good. It certainly looked pleasurable in the manga.  
I finished the first and reluctantly picked up the second.

"Shion, I'm home!"  
I jumped at my mom's voice and had a small heart attack. I quickly hid the books under my bed as my mom walked in my room.  
"How was today?.. You feeling fine?" She asked, seeing me on the ground.  
"Huh? O-oh yeah, I'm fine." I reassured her.  
"Oh and Safu is going to be gone next week so she can't stay here with me while you're in the city. But Nezumi can. Is that ok?"  
The smile on her face grew bigger.  
"Yeah! He seems like he'll take great care I you."  
It was official. I would be spending the next week with Nezumi.  
I smiled brightly up at her.

That night I pulled the rest of the manga's out from under my bed. I was almost afraid my mom would hear the sound of me turning the page. Why was I reading them anyway? I told myself it was just for information but didn't know if that was my only reason. Before I knew it I had finished all of them. Many times I had felt my pants grow a little tighter around me but I had waited for it to go away. I wasn't going to do that to myself unless I absolutely had to. Truthfully I had only ever jerked off a couple times in my life.  
I went to bed around 3am that night.

 

It felt like forever till Sunday came. My mom left early in the morning and Nezumi would get here around lunch time.  
"Love you Shion, have a good time!" She told me as she went out the front door.  
"Love you!" I yelled out.   
She got to her car and we waved good bye till she turned the corner and I couldn't see her anymore.

What were me and Nezumi even going to do for a week? We had school Thursday and Friday but we would be home the rest of the time. My mind drifted to the manga's that Safu had given me. There was a scene a lot like this in one of them. They had stayed over at each others house and then they-.. No. That kind of stuff wasn't going to happen between us. Sure I liked Nezumi but again I still wasn't sure how.   
Friend? No, it was a little different.   
Lover? Eh. I didn't even know what he thought of me yet though.   
I closed the front door, shutting the thoughts out.  
The house seemed so quiet now.   
I sat on the couch and turned on the tv in our living room.   
There wasn't much on. I felt my eyes drifting closed. I hadn't gotten much sleep last night, maybe a little nap before Nezumi came would help.

"Wakey wakey, Shion" a voice whispered into my ear.   
Mom?   
I squinted my eyes open and lightly rubbed them. Nezumi stood behind the couch. Oh! He was coming over today.   
How long had I been asleep?  
"Huh? Oh Nezumi! S-sorry, I guess I took a nap for longer than I thought."  
Nezumi smiled as I realized there was a smell coming from the kitchen.   
Food?   
I looked out the window. The sun was slowly getting lower in the sky. It must of been around 5.  
"I would have waken you when I got here but you were deep asleep. Rough night last night?" The gray eyed boy asked.   
I suddenly remembered the manga's and started to feel my cheeks get hot.  
"A little." I told him as I looked away. The tv was turned off. Did he do that?  
Suddenly a little whisper came right beside my ear.  
"What on earth could you have been doing?"  
I flushed redder and jerked away as the warm breath fanned across the side of my head.  
"N-nothing!" I needed to change topics. "Anyway what are you cooking? It smells great."  
Nezumi gave me a little curious look then answered somewhat flamboyantly.  
"My famous soup, wanna try it?"  
I nodded and followed him to the kitchen. There were already two bowls on the table.   
Nezumi poured some in each.  
"It's hot" he warned as he set a bowl back in front of me. I carefully got a spoonful and blew on it. The steam curled up into the air and I took a small sip. The spices sizzled on my tongue, almost making my mouth start to water right there.  
"It's great!" I told the boy, looking up at him with amazement. He gave a little smile from across the table.  
"It better."  
Ten minutes later I had finished my second bowl and was growing super full. But the soup in my stomach gave me a warm feeling all around.   
Where had Nezumi learned to cook so well? I realized I knew practically nothing about him.  
"So what's your family like?" I asked.  
He stopped moving his spoon for a second then quickly put it in his mouth, finishing his last bit.  
"Why?" He asked  
I tilted my head. Why? "Because I don't know almost anything about you."  
He grabbed our bowls and set them in the sink.  
"It's small."  
I could tell from his expression he didn't want to tell me anything else but being me I kept going.  
"Where do your parents work?" I asked.   
He turned around sharply and gave me a look.   
Was that personal?  
"They don't." He snapped as he walked out if the kitchen.   
They didn't work? How'd they make money then? I decided not to ask anything else for now. He seemed irritated.

As I walked out, I found the boy sitting on the couch in front of the tv.  
"Do you wanna watch a movie?" He asked, a little calmer now.  
A movie? That sounded fun. I didn't have anything else planned so I sat down next to him on the couch about a foot apart.  
He grabbed the remote and switched through channels till he found some sci-fi movie. As he put the remote back down he reached over and grabbed me by the waist, pulling me closer to him.   
I let out a little surprised gasp.  
"You don't need to sit so far away."  
My heart skipped as I felt the side of my body press against him.   
How was I going to pay attention to the movie now?   
He slouched down into the couch a little bit to get more comfortable. His arm was still lightly hooked around my waist.   
It felt like I couldn't breath. He was so close to me. It was different then when he had hugged me on my bedroom floor. This was more... casual.

After a few minutes of sitting there stiff and barely breathing, I finally calmed down.   
It was just Nezumi. I didn't need to get so worked up.  
As the movie went on I felt my head get a little more heavy. Finally I took a little leap and rested my head on his shoulder. I could feel him stiffen up at my sudden movement but then he shifted me slightly closer to him.   
Did I really like him like that? Did he really like me that?

The movie ended to soon. We had stayed in the same position the whole time, not daring to move. Now the credits rolled and it started getting awkward.   
Should I move first? Would he take offense by that? We couldn't just stay here. But it was comfortable.   
I shifted slightly and pulled my head up. My neck was a bit sore.  
"Well I guess I'll go shower." I told him.  
Wait he was my guest. Should I let him shower first? But he waved me off.  
"Ok."

I turned the water on the coldest I could stand it. My hair hung limp as it slowly became drenched.   
What was going on between me and Nezumi? We were just friends right? I admired him a lot. He saved my life before. He cared about me. He was a strong person. But I couldn't like him like that. We were both guys any way. I guess that kind of thing was getting pretty normal though. My mom wouldn't care if we got together. She'd probably love it knowing I found someone.

A couple minutes later I finished and went back to my room already dressed in pajamas. Nezumi was there. His suit case sat next to him on the floor.  
"Oh good, you're out. I'm gonna go take a shower too." He stood up, a change of clothes were already in his hands.  
"Ok. Towels are in there."  
And he left, disappearing down the hall.

I sat on my bed, ruffling my wet hair in an attempt to dry it some. As I laid down I realized I had completely forgotten about where he was going to sleep. He could take the couch. Maybe my moms bed across the hall? But his stuff was in here already. Should I pull out an air mattress? I decided to ask him once he was done.

I heard the water squeak on and felt little goosebumps crawl along my skin. I shouldn't of taken such a cold shower. Now I was freezing. Especially now that it had been getting colder outside. I shifted under my covers to keep warm. 

A little while later Nezumi came out. His hair was out of his usual ponytail and now hung around his shoulders. He really did look like a girl in some ways. He was beautiful. Nezumi looked up and met my stare, mid squeezing his hair with a towel. I flinched and lookrf down.  
"So where do you want to sleep? There's my moms room, the couch. I could pull out a-"  
I got my answer of where he wanted to sleep as he turned off the lights, getting in my bed a second after. I could feel the mattress dip at the extra weight.   
He was... sleeping here?  
Nezumi managed to get under the covers and now faced me.  
"You don't mind, right?" He asked. His voice soft.  
"Oh uh n-no, I don't mind"  
To be honest I really didn't. This is what people did at regular sleepovers anyway right?  
Nezumi suddenly put his arm around my back and brought us closer.  
Ok maybe people didn't do this at sleepovers.  
His face now rested barely an inch away from mine. The hand on my back found a little spot of skin that wasn't covered by my shirt and started lightly stroking it. I had goosebumps everywhere and I knew he could feel it.  
"You cold?" He asked quietly. His eyes were closed as I looked up at him.  
"A-a little" I stuttered.  
He continued to tangle our legs together and draw even closer. His chin slightly pressed against my forehead.   
Well that was warmer.   
As we laid there I struggled to make my body calm down. I was rigid and my heart beat was going like I had just drank 4 Monster energy drinks.  
His hand slid a little more up my shirt, making me shiver. But not because I was cold. His hand was actually very warm. Where he touched seemed to almost burn.  
I shakily breathed into his shirt.  
His own breath ruffled my hair.

We were... just friends right? Thats the only thing he thought we were, right?   
My mind wasn't so sure as we cuddled closer. After a few minutes my heart beat finally slowed and I became more relaxed.  
He really was warm.  
I slid my arms out from between us to get in a more comfortable position.   
They ended up lightly around him.  
We were totally pressed together.  
I could feel him smile above me. A second later he nuzzled into me a little more, his chapped lips grazing my forehead.  
Well that definitely wasn't just a friend thing.   
After my body finally calmed all the way down I was surprised to find myself falling asleep in Nezumi's arms.   
Maybe he was just the type of friend who liked to cuddle?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: a little graphic sexual scene. Also some major fluff

Day 2: Monday

I woke up with a big weight on my chest. Was someone trying to suffocate me?   
I opened my blurry eyes, seeing that Nezumi had moved during the night and was now laying almost on top of me. He was still fast asleep with his arm secured around me. His breath lightly grazed my neck.  
Oh.  
What time was it? I glanced at the clock that sat in my room.  
9:23am  
Maybe I could let him lay there a little longer.  
I moved slightly to make it so he wasn't crushing me. I still needed to find out what was going on between us. Did he possibly like me? He did tease me a lot and seemed to like to make me blush but that didn't really mean anything. Did it? The thought that I should just ask him crossed my mind. Would that be weird? And what if he said yes? I didn't know myself what I felt about him. I really needed to figure this all out.  
Nezumi stirred from on top of me, slowly sitting up.   
God. His hair was a mess. That's what he got for falling asleep with it still damp.   
He yawned then looked down at me.  
"Oh you're awake." He said, then paused, looking curiously at my face.   
"What's with that smile?" He asked.  
I was smiling?  
I sat up next to him, letting the blanket pool around us.  
"Your hair, I like it." I said, brushing a hand through the bottom couple of inches. The dark bluish tangles came undone through my fingers easily.  
"You like my bed head?" Nezumi laughed. "You should see yours."  
He roughly rubbed by hair, making me smile.   
"Do you want some-" a yawn interrupted my sentence,"-pancakes?" I asked, stopping midway to yawn. Nezumi smiled at me.  
"Sure."

Out in the kitchen Nezumi mixed up the batter while I got a frying pan and greased it.  
"Do you have any chocolate chips?" He asked.  
I opened a cabinet and got out a bag.  
"Yeah, here." I said, handing it to him.  
He practically dumped the whole thing into the pancake mix.  
Well good thing I liked chocolate.  
As we made our pancakes me and Nezumi occasionally met eyes. Each time I could feel my heart leap and would end up turning away. What was wrong with me? I shouldn't feel like this. Maybe I was sick. I did feel a little light headed.  
I flipped a pancake in the fryer. The top was golden brown. Perfect!  
Then I felt a pair of arms wrap behind me, causing me to flinch and my eyes to widen.  
"You ok?" A voice whispered.  
Nezumi leaned his body gently on my back.  
"Y-yeah" I felt my mouth go dry.  
He suddenly lightly kissed the scar on the back of my neck and let me go.  
"Good."  
The light kiss left a tingling sensation that seemed to spread all over my body.   
What just...?   
But I could feel my heart already jumping for more even though it had only lasted a second.  
At that I came back to reality and saw my pancake.  
"Ah!" The once perfect golden brown glory was now burnt.   
Idiot Nezumi.

We ate a few chocolatey pancakes before Nezumi suddenly mentioned we should go biking. It seemed like a fun idea. Maybe we could stop at a park, check on the puppies at the animal shelter or something.  
Nezumi took my moms bike and I took mine. He rode a little ahead of me to apparently 'watch out for cars'.  
We biked to the animal shelter first. 2 of the 4 puppies had already been adopted. Good, hopefully someone nice had taken them.

Around noon we stopped at a little fast food place to eat lunch and get ice cream. It was fun to just ride around town. And Nezumi seemed to know a bunch of short cuts and pretty trails to go on.  
We got back home slightly sweaty and tired by 4pm and immediately flopped down on the couch.

"Well that was fun." I said from next to him.  
He nodded his head with his eyes closed.  
The rest of the time before dinner we read on the couch. Nezumi had given me a book called The Little Prince. It was interesting so far, I was easily sucked into it.  
I sat across the couch with my legs pointing towards Nezumi. He was on the opposite side doing the same thing. He had a book in his hands called Hamlet.  
What was that one about?

When we started getting hungry Nezumi got up to go to the kitchen. Leaving his book face down on the sofa. I followed his example and hurried behind him.  
We made sandwiches and ate slowly.  
It was around 8pm when we finally left the kitchen.

That night I made Nezumi take a shower first. I didn't want to be a rude host. He came out a little while later shirtless, the scar on his back clearly visible.  
"So.. what happened?" I asked carefully. I really didn't want to offend him but my curiosity was killing me.  
He grabbed a shirt from his suitcase and threw it on.  
"..I was burned."  
So it was a burn scar. I had wondered from the way it looked. But what had caused something that bad?  
"Now go take a shower. I think there's still a little warm water left." He told me.   
I reluctantly left for the bathroom, leaving him sitting on my bed.

I took a quick shower, using my favorite soap that smelled like citrus. My mom had once told me it was a really girly smell but had soon given up when I ended up just using it more often. Once I finished I put pajamas on my still damp skin. They lightly clung to me, making it a little uncomfortable.

When I finished in the bathroom I walked back in my room. The lights were off and I could hear Nezumi's light breathing coming from where he slept on my bed. I smiled at his sleeping form that was illuminated by the moonlight shining through the window. His hair was down again and laid gracefully across the pillow.  
I quietly slipped in beside him, trying to make sure I didn't wake him up. When I was finally under the covers I turned away from his sleeping form to face the wall. He was way too distracting to fall asleep.

I laid there for a few seconds till I suddenly felt pressure on my back. Nezumi's breath warmed the back of my neck. Then a quiet whisper tickled my ear.

"My parents were killed when I was 5 in a fire. I was in the house too... But I was saved and only left with the scar on my back."   
He paused a few seconds.   
"I ran away and lived on the streets for 2 years till the police found me and made my uncle take me in. I've been with the drunkard ever since. I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad though. It was just something that happened and can't be changed."  
The voice finally quieted and he turned around, removing the heat that had been seeping through my back.   
That... was what happened? My admiration for him deepened.   
I made a quick decision and turned around. Nezumi was facing away from me now. His soft hair falling to the side.   
I reached out a few fingers and carefully traced the burn scars through the fabric of his shirt. He flinched at the sudden touch but relaxed as he grew used to the feeling.   
He managed all that by himself.  
How? I didn't know how I'd survive without my mom. She supports me, and made me who I am today  
I put my arms over his torso and hugged him from behind. My head rested on his back.  
I closed my eyes as Nezumi's hands found mine and pressed them closer to his chest.  
It wasn't long till I was in a deep sleep.

 

Day 3: Tuesday

I woke up to an empty bed. Which I guess was usual for me but after just 2 nights with Nezumi it felt lonely waking up like that.  
I pulled out of my covers and searched for Nezumi's suitcase that sat by the bedroom.   
It was still there. Good. He hadn't actually left.  
I glanced at the clock. 10:37am. I had woken up a little later than usual. Well it had been a good sleep though.  
I quickly got changed and headed downstairs. Nezumi was sitting on the couch reading again. I let out a little sigh of relief and grinned. Just seeing him made me happy.  
"So I see the prince is finally awake." The gray eyed boy said, not looking up from his book. His hair was down from his usual short ponytail.  
"Yeah, sorry."  
His story stirred in my mind as I stared at him. How his parents had died and he had been taken in by his uncle. I wondered how his life was like now. He mentioned his uncle was a drunk.

I walked over to him and sat down just a little closer than I usually did.   
Of course he noticed. He seemed to notice everything I did.

He turned when I sat and laid across my lap with his book out in front of him. His chest and stomach pressed into my thighs. Was that even comfortable? I stared at him, a little shocked by his comfortableness with me.   
Where should I put my arms? Would he mind if they laid on his back? My eyes drifted to the dark blue hair that laid in front of me. I decided to lay my elbows on him so I could play with it.  
It was way softer than I had evem imagined. Sure it looked soft already but as my fingers twisted the strands between them I could feel it was much more.  
I quietly played with his hair as he read. I could feel his chest rise and fall with each breath.   
Beautiful, I thought again. There weren't many other words to describe him. I continued to play with his hair, twisting it into little braids and combing it with my fingers. It wasn't till my stomach growled that he got up.  
"I made some more pancakes earlier. They're in the fridge."  
Yay, more of a gooey chocolatey mess.  
I ran over and had about 3 topped with whip cream. Truthfully it was more of a desert than breakfast. After I finished I went back out to the living room and turned on the tv. The couch sat empty. Did Nezumi go to the bathroom?  
The show kept going. It was about some detective. Halfway through I started to get worried. He shouldn't be gone that long right? I got up from the couch and headed up stairs.   
Bathroom? Nope.  
My mom's room hadn't been opened since Nezumi came, he wasn't in there. I finally opened my bedroom door to find him sitting on my bed with another book.  
"And Shion surprises me again." He smirked, still starring at the pages. I couldn't see clearly what it was and walked over till I suddenly stopped in my tracks.  
It was those manga's Safu had given me.  
I hadn't been able to return them before she left so they had been sitting under my bed. A bright red spread over my face and ears.  
"Y-you shouldn't look through my stuff!" I stuttered, mortified.  
Nezumi finally looked up at me, clearly trying not to laugh.  
"My sock fell and when I reached for it I found this instead."  
He waved his sock at me from where it was sitting on his bed.  
At least it was an accident.  
"But still! That's priva-" Nezumi suddenly reached for me and before I had time to process anything else I was lying on the bed, him hovering over me. A few raven tendrils of hair hung by the sides of my head.  
"I'm glad I found them though. Who knew the innocent prince Shion was into this kind of stuff." He whispered close to my ear, making me shiver as his breath traveled down my neck.  
Suddenly I felt two soft lips touch the scar near my shoulder. It was light and quick but made my breath hitch.   
"Tell me to stop." He whispered quietly.  
His breath fanned across my ear as he waited for a few seconds but I laid frozen.   
I couldn't say anything. My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. There was no way it was gong to move.   
After some silence he brought his head back down, touching the red mark that wound around my neck again with his lips, adding a little more pressure this time. The scar that ran over my body was extremely sensitive and he knew that.   
Nezumi wandered a little bit down, hovering his mouth only a few millimeters away from my skin. My heart felt like it had stopped completely. His mouth was just close enough to the skin that it made me long for his touch. It seemed to teased me from millimeters away.  
What was even going on? How had this situation happened?   
A confusing wave of emotions crashed through my mind. But only one thing really came out clear.   
I wanted more. More of him. And I didn't understand why. It frightened but excited me at the same time.  
I carefully slid my hand up his arm till I held his cheek that rested right above my collar bone.  
"Nezumi.. Keep. Keep going." I lightly whimpered.  
That seemed to push him over the edge.  
His lips came again down to my scar but this time lightly sucked, adding a quick nip at the end. My breath hitched at the light pinch and I flinched up ever so slightly.   
I swallowed wetly and closed my eyes, wanting more. But I wasn't going to just ask for it again.   
I could feel him grin slightly at my reactions. My whole body waited.  
Finally his lips came again further up my neck, this time sucking a little harder and making me give a little whine.  
"Nezumi" I whispered. It was barley audible but I could tell he got the message as he wrapped a hand under my neck to bring me closer to his mouth. I couldn't control my little whines this time as he kissed and found a sweet spot on my neck. Each time a soft nip came I felt my body jerk at the frightening but pleasurable sensation.  
I wrapped my hands around his neck to bring him even closer. They found a way to his hair and lightly gripped, pulling when he nipped at my skin. I didn't know just this could feel that wonderful.  
My mind went a little foggy but suddenly cleared up as I felt his other hand come to the hem of my shirt. It pulled it up slightly and traced the skin underneath. My breath grew heavier each second. My body wasn't used to these kinds of feelings.  
His hand under my shirt slowly traveled upward until it reached the already perked pink nub on my chest. As he gave a light pinch I bit my lip trying to hold my sounds in. That felt wonderful.  
I could feel Nezumi chuckle a little.  
"So you like that."  
He rubbed it a bit more, causing me to bite down further into my bottom lip. Hopefully it hadn't started bleeding.  
Suddenly he pulled my shirt up and lowered his head, covering the pink nub with his mouth a lightly dancing his tongue around it. This time I couldn't hold my mouth shut any longer and let go of my lip, releasing a quiet moan.   
I could tell he really liked that sound. He brought his hand to the other pink nub and slightly played with it. My body had started trembling at the overflowing pleasure. He lightly sucked the small peak before switching sides. The more he went on the more I got lost in the depths of pleasure.  
Finally Nezumi released the swelling nipple and traveled his hand down my stomach till it lightly cupped my hardening crotch through my thin pants.  
I shut my eyes tight.  
"Have you done this before?" He asked, sitting up a little.  
I nodded my head.  
"Once or twice." I breathed shakily.  
I felt Nezumi smirk a little at that.  
His hand resting there only seemed to make more heat travel to my member. It was almost unbearable.  
He squeezed slightly and I jerked upward into his hand, letting out a gasp at the new sensation as he started rubbing me.  
My body was now trembling. As his hand moved a little faster I could already feel myself growing hot.  
"Nezumi" I whimpered softly.  
At my voice he suddenly unzipped my pants, sliding his hand in.  
The strange feeling made my eyes fly open and my body to jerk again.  
"N-Nezumi not so- Ah!"  
He pressed into the tip a little harder, rubbing small circles.  
God.  
I whimpered almost uncontrollably as he continued to stroke me, not really caring anymore.  
Suddenly I shuddered and arched my back, letting out a quick gasp as I released into his hand.   
Laying back down I tried to control my ragged breathing.  
"You ok?" A quiet, concerned voice asked. "That was pretty quick"  
I nodded my head and laid there with my eyes closed.  
I was still shaking as I squinted them open and reached up suddenly, drawing Nezumi down to me. I hugged the startled grey eyed boy. And he finally hugged my form. Tightening his arms as he squeezed me closer.  
I was definitely in love with him.  
After a few minutes my body calmed down and I finally felt like I could catch my breath.  
"You sure you're ok?" he whispered.  
I nodded my head. "Yeah." I squeezed him a little tighter.  
I was super worn out.  
Nezumi sat up and looked at me. I felt his hand wipe back the sweaty hair from my face. It stroked my cheek and slowly lulled me to a sleep that I happily accepted. The last thing I noticed in the borders of my unconsciousness was soft lips pressing to my own.

"Goodnight Shion."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major fluff ahead. May cause swelling of fan girl heart, shortness of breath, and occasionally death. Also I'm just going to say sorry ahead

Day 4:Wednesday

The morning sun was shining when I finally woke up again. I held my hand up against the light, a small headache burned behind my eyes.  
Had that... been a dream?  
The flood of events that had happened yesterday swarmed my head.  
I almost hoped it had.  
I sat up and looked down noticing I was in a new pair of pants. Nezumi had probably changed me out of the dirty ones while I was sleeping.  
Wow. That had really happened. My cheeks burned at the memory.  
I got out of bed feeling strangely awake and washed off in the bathroom. I found two red bruises on my neck. That made me sure everything last night wasn't just a dream.  
So were me and Nezumi together now? He hadn't been in my room this morning when I woke up. He was probably downstairs again.

I got changed for the day and headed to the living room.  
"Good morning" a voice said. I jumped at the sound but quickly found the source from Nezumi sitting on the couch reading. He didn't look up as he greeted me.  
For some reason I had expected something different. Were we still supposed to be the same to each other as before?  
"Morning." I replied.

After breakfast we sat on the couch to watch tv. Nezumi laid out with his legs on my lap. I still didn't really know how to act around him. He seemed just like he had before. Maybe I shouldn't worry about anything.  
"You slept for a long time." he pointed out.  
I had, hadn't I. I had fallen asleep right after...  
"Yeah." I agreed quietly. I grabbed the remote and turned the channel.

I found something to watch and settled into the couch. There wasn't much on. But it at least took my mind off of everything.   
Right as we were about to find out who won the cooking contest Nezumi grabbed the remote and turned it off.  
"Hey!" I turned to him more surprised than anything.  
"I'm bored. Let's do something." He said getting up.   
I stared at him curiously as he turned on the radio. Something classical popped up.  
"Come. Dance." He told me, reaching for my arm to pull me up.  
"I-I don't dance." I replied, reluctantly grabbing his outstretched hand.  
He led me to him.  
"Well you are now."  
He placed his hand on my back and led mine to his shoulder.  
"W-what are you doing?" I asked, somewhat flustered at his closeness.  
He intertwined our free hands together.  
"I already told you. Dancing. Just follow me."  
He led me around the room to the beat of the music. We were sloppy and I lost count of the amount of times we almost knocked a lamp over. Since I wasn't able to look at his face without getting red I stared at my feet.  
"Your slowly getting it. Come on." He said, continued to spin me which caused me to giggle. Nezumi smiled and brought me a tiny bit closer to him.  
This was actually kinda fun.  
He exaggerated most of our movements now, dipping our intwined hands low when we stepped and took sharp turns. We laughed together as we kept going.   
Finally I actually looked at his face. It was the brightest I had ever seen it. His eyes seemed to sparkle and the smile on his face was actual happiness. I loved that expression of his.  
He spun me again faster, making me slightly dizzy. When I came back to him I realized our chests were touching. Though it didn't seem uncomfortable at all being so close.  
Finally after the song ended he dipped me back. My hair hung back for a second till he quickly swung me back up.  
"See, you can dance." He said, still smiling.  
I closed my eyes with a giggle.  
"I guess I can. Good thing I have a great teacher." I said looking up at him. The radio had started playing some country song. When I realized we were still pressed together I lightly backed away.  
"Well.. thanks. That was fun." I said, feeling a little awkward now.  
He came closer to me again and ruffled my hair playfully.  
"It was." He said with another smile. That face of his really was gorgeous.

Afterwards, we decided to go on another bike ride. We were running low on food and needed to go to the store. We each grabbed a jacket and a book bag and left.   
While biking we passed my favorite place to shop for clothes.  
"Hey Nezumi, do you mind stopping? I wanted to find a new button down shirt."  
His brakes screeched a little as he slowed and turned around.  
"Sure."

We parked our bikes out front and went in. Luckily it was really empty.  
We went over to the men's aisle and I scoured the racks for a shirt my size. After finding a few that looked ok I went over to the dressing room.

"I'll show you them once they're on. Tell me if I look ok." I said to Nezumi.  
I went into the first stall and Nezumi sat outside on a chair. The first shirt was a dark blue button down. Once on I came out. Nezumi nodded his head.  
"I like it but the color doesn't match you super well."  
I had been thinking the same thing.  
Next was a lilac one.  
"Better color."  
I threw on a few more.  
We narrowed it down to a light blue and red. Or as Nezumi liked to call it, pink.

"Your collar is sticking up." He pointed out when I opened the stall for him to see again.

"Oh really?" I reached but as I took to long to fix it Nezumi let out a small sigh and came over. He tucked it down a little.  
"There." He said. Sheudden ly stopped as he saw the red bruise he had made on my neck the other night. We still hadn't talked at all about that. His fingers lightly brushed the skin before lifting back up.  
"I really like this pink one." He stated, quickly straightening back up.  
"It's red." I said, a little irritated.  
"Uh huh." He said sarcastically.  
Gosh he was stubborn.  
"Well I'll get this one anyway."  
I got changed back into my regular clothes and paid for the light red shirt.

Finally we headed to the grocery store.  
When we got there Nezumi pushed the cart while I gathered the stuff from our little list.  
Chocolate chips. Check.  
Bread. Check.  
Soda. Check.  
About 5 items later I paid with the money my mom had left me and stuffed our supplies in the book bags we had brought.  
The sun was high in the sky as we headed home.

"So is Hamlet good?" I asked Nezumi. We were reading on the couch again. It seemed to be the thing we did every evening for a few hours.  
"Yeah."  
I had almost finished the Little Prince. I had really liked it.  
"Well I'm gonna head to bed. Don't forget we have school tomorrow" Nezumi said, getting up from the couch.  
I stared as he walked away.  
"Ok."

He headed up the creaking stairs, giving me space to think.  
We still hadn't talked about last night at all. Maybe it hadn't been a serious thing to him? But he didn't seem like a person who'd just do that to anyone. Should I bring it up?  
I closed my book and laid back. The memory of his hands on me gave me shivers. To tell you the truth it had been very.. enjoyable, even though I was mortified when I had made any sounds. The idea of him doing that kind of thing again to me crossed my mind.  
No. That wasn't going to happen again right?  
I sat up. There were no sounds coming from upstairs. Nezumi was probably in bed now.   
I headed up after him about 10 minutes later. Yup, there he was on my bed. Last night I had finally told myself I loved him. He was special to me and gave me butterflies just by being around him. I guess it wasn't a bad thing to be in love.

After I got changed and set the alarm I crept into the bed with him. My heart swelled up as I laid down beside the boy. I couldn't help but wrap my arms around him. He was beautiful. I wanted him.  
I stuck my nose into the back of his head.   
His smell really was wonderful.  
"Mind loosening your grip a little? I can't breath." Said a sudden voice. He was still awake?  
"Oh! Uh sorry." I lifted my arms off him.  
"I didn't say let go." He replied. He brought my arms back, holding my hands to his chest.  
"There." He said, his voice already getting sleepy again.  
I swallowed wetly. We had school in the morning. I really needed to go to sleep.  
I carefully scooted to get in a little more comfortable and wound up pressing into his back. Did he mind? When he didn't say anything I let my body relax.  
His dark hair tickled my nose.   
I stared at the raven strands. His pale ear just barely peeking form it.  
Before I could change my mind I lifted up slightly and kissed the side of his head.  
"What was that for." He asked as I laid back down.  
"Just a thank you." I told him.  
We drifted off into sleep shortly after.

Day 5: Thursday

"Hurry up Shion, we don't want to be late since we're biking." Nezumi called up. He was already ready to go by the door even though he had gotten up after me.  
Where was my other sock? I scurried around frantically till I settled for a mix matched pair.  
"Be there in a second!"  
I was very dizzy for some reason, it was hard to move around fast.  
I got to the bathroom and popped in a Tylenol. Hopefully that would help.  
Nezumi sure was hard to get up this morning. He had slept through the alarm and it had taken me practically jumping on him to make him even sit up. I looked at the clock. We had about 5 minutes till we really needed to go unless we wanted to be late.  
I searched for my shoes.

Nezumi's POV

Man, Shion was slow. When I had woken up he had already been mostly dressed yet he was still not done.  
I grabbed my book I had almost forgotten that was sitting on the sofa.

The last 5 days had been great. It was nice living with Shion. He made me a lot happier when I was by him. But he really was an airhead. My mind wandered back to 2 nights ago. Shion hadn't said anything about what had happened. I could tell he remembered, when he had come down the morning after he was blushing like a little girl. He seemed like he liked it though. We really needed to talk about what was going on between us. I figured he liked me since he was always snuggling at night. But I had a feeling he didn't really understand any of this.  
Suddenly I heard a loud think come from upstairs.  
"Shion?" I yelled up. He was taking way too long.  
There wasn't an answer.  
I headed upstairs. Something felt wrong. It was too quiet.  
As I turned into his bedroom my heart stopped. A body laid on the ground shaking violently.  
"Shion!" I yelled.


	10. Chapter 10

"Shion!" I yelled, running over to the heap on the floor.  
What was wrong? He was shaking uncontrollably, his eyes shut tight and a look of serious pain etched in his brow. I turned him pver so I could see him better.  
"Ca-cab.. net." The white haired mumbled.  
"Cabinet?"  
He nodded his head.  
"What do you want in there?" I asked frantically. Shion grabbed my arm, trying to sit up.  
"Med- N.. Pen."  
His shaking had slowed a little bit but I noticed that the scar running around his body had turned a dark red, almost purple. Was he dying? No, it couldn't be that.  
I nodded my head, understanding.  
"Ok." And ran to the bathroom.

The medicine cabinet in there was full of stuff. What on earth did he want me to get? I partially tore through everything till I found some kind of epipen near the back. On the label Shion's name was written with directions to only use if needed. There was dust all over it and a date written that was from back when he would of been a baby. This had to be what he wanted.

I ran back to Shion. He was still on the floor shaking terribly. I had never seen a seizure but was that what was happening to him?  
I turned his head to face me and laid him in my lap.  
"Shion, this is what you wanted right?"  
He faintly nodded and I immediately uncapped it and stabbed it into his thigh.  
Would this work?  
"Shion, please."

I reached down and held Shion tightly. His eyes were closed tight and he was holding onto me with everything he had.  
He had to live.  
I grabbed his phone from his pocket and called an ambulance.

 

The smell of the hospital almost drove me up the wall. It brought back bad memories of when my parents had died and smelled like disinfectant and old people. I hated it.

I sat outside of Shion's hospital room. The doctors hadn't let me in since I wasn't a family member. Luckily one of the nurses had come out to tell his situation a few times. Apparently the sickness he had had as a baby had reappeared, but only tempoarily. They said it was probably just a last bit that had been leftover and that he'd be totally fine soon.   
I finally felt like I could breath.

The doctors had called his mom earlier. They had come out of Shion's room to talk to her so I could hear almost everything. She was just yelling frantically the whole time saying she was coming home but I had grabbed the phone from them and somehow convinced her Shion was fine and that she couldn't do anything even if she was here anyway. I didn't want her to miss anything important in the city, it sounded like something good had happened there.

I sat in a chair nodding off for a couple hours. I wanted to see Shion and had been super mad when they wouldn't let me through but I had finally given up and sat out here. The nice nurse had brought me a sandwich from the little restaurant downstairs around lunch time. It wasn't till around 3pm that I was allowed to see Shion again.

I walked into the room, he was lying on the bed asleep.  
So he was ok now?  
The doctor had come out earlier and told me what I did with the epipen saved his life.  
What if I hadn't done that? I shook my head getting rid of my thoughts. I couldn't think about that now.

The monitor beeped, recording Shion's heart rate. As I looked at him now I could see his scar was still the same dark red as it was earlier. It didn't seem like it was going away and back to its usual pink.

I had to say, meeting Shion had changed my life. He was everything to me. He felt like the only thing good in my life right now. Shion was such a contrast compared to everything else. I didn't want to ever be separated from him again.

I cautiously walked up next to his sleeping form. His white hair hung into his eyes.

I pulled up a chair to sit next to him and grabbed his free hand to play with it. He had surprisingly bony fingers.  
"Thank you Shion." I whispered, putting my head lightly on his arm. The movement of his breathing and beeping of the monitor made me sure he was still with me.   
Why did I have to be so attached to him? He probably wasn't anything special in anyone else's eyes but he was in mine for some reason. 

"Nezumi?" I heard from above.  
I lifted my head up quickly to see Shion's bright red eyes staring at me. They were so pretty.  
I couldn't help but smile.  
"So my prince is awake." I said.  
Shion gave one of his wonderful smiles that I swore could make even my uncle happy. I squeezed his hand a little bit and brought my head back down to give him a slight hug.  
So warm.  
"I heard you saved me. Thank you Nezumi." He said quietly.  
I looked back at his face and ran my thumb lightly across the scar on his cheek.  
"You're welcome." I said.   
He continued to stare at me with those bright eyes of his, full of warmth. At that my love for him practically ripped through my chest and before I could really think about it I brought my lips carefully to his.  
It was a quick, dry kiss but felt like it meant the whole world.  
When I lifted my head back up I could see Shion's face held a look of surprise. His mouth was opened in a slight o and his eyes were widened. As he processed what had happened he looked down, blushing ferociously.  
Wow he was cute.  
Had that been his first kiss?  
I gently turned his head so he would face me again.  
Yeah it definitely was.  
"Oh yeah they called your mom. I talked with her. She was really worried but I managed to convince her to stay in the city. You should call her soon to tell her you're fine."  
His blush had gone away slightly at the mention of his mom.  
"O-Ok. I'll call her now. Can you hand me that phone?" He asked, pointing to a few feet away where a phone hung on the wall. I handed it to him and he punched in his moms number.  
I listened quietly to them talk. She sounded relieved to hear her sons voice again. They kept talking for about a half hour, making me fall asleep in my chair. It had been a long morning.

 

Shion's POV

He kissed me. He had kissed me.  
It was so hard to keep my mind on the phone in my hand. What was my mom even saying?  
I looked over at Nezumi who was sitting in a chair next to me with his eyes closed. Was he asleep?  
"Oh yup. Uh huh. They made sure I'm completely healed. Yeah. I'm going home by tomorrow. They just want to watch me over night." I said into the phone  
He had kissed me! My heart jumped with excitement. I could hear the beeping of the monitor get a little faster.  
"Yeah ok. Love you. Bye."  
The call ended with a little click.

Why was I acting like this? Nezumi had probably kissed many people. I wasn't anything different. Besides it was just a little peck, nothing serious. Maybe it was just pheromones. I am a teenager after all. Man, I wish I ask Safu about all this right now.  
I slid under the covers a little, tryong to calm myself.

Nezumi slept for a few boring hours. I couldn't go back to sleep with him looking like that right there.  
His head was propped on his hand that rested on the arm rest and his dark hair hung to the side, a few strands tickling his nose.  
I was almost tempted to wake him just to have someone to talk to again. All I had was my thoughts. And they were just screaming at me to make him kiss me again. I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine. They had been so warm.

Besides that though I surprisingly I felt fine even though jut this morning a had had some kind of attack. All that was even kinda wrong was that my scar felt a little more sensitive.

Finally Nezumi got up around 5.

He opened his eyes sleepily and looked at me, blinking and yawing.  
"I just remembered we had school today. The teachers are probably still there. Do you want me to get your assignments?" They gray eyed boy asked.  
Wait he was leaving? But he had just woken up!  
"Oh um sure." I told him.  
At that he stood up and started to turn around. Suddenly I reached up and grabbed his arm.  
"Wait!"  
He turned back to look at me with a curious expression.  
"What is it?"  
Crap. I hadn't thought this through.  
"Well I just.. You. I didn't. Maybe-"  
Nezumi gave a chuckle, turning all the way around to face me.  
"Did you not want me to leave?" He asked.  
"Well it would be nice to get my assignments. But well I was thinking before you leave.. Um."

Nezumi showed a hint of surprise before regaining his composure. He slowly leaned closer to me and cupped my chin in his hand. His face only a few inches away.  
"Do you want me to kiss you again?" He asked.  
My cheeks turned red. Could he read my mind?  
"Well.. Yeah." I spoke quietly.  
His eyes seemed to darken in desire a little bit as he looked at me. Would he really kiss me again?  
"Can you just ask me properly?" He asked, his voice a little husky. His face had gotten even closer now.  
"Would you.. Kiss me again?" I breathed, trying not to stare at his lips.  
He carefully moved his head and made our lips touch. A spark of electricity seemed to jump through me. This would be my second kiss, I thought.   
My eyes closed and I focused on the boy in front of me.  
His lips stayed lightly planted on mine and his hand found its way to my cheek again. Soon I realized I knew nothing about kissing. Was I supposed to do something now?  
Nezumi gently brushed his thumb along my cheek, pressing are lips together just a little more.  
Maybe I could try that too?  
I tilted my head up, applying the same careful force he just had.  
"Finally." He joked, pulling away for a second.  
Before he could leave I wrapped my free arm around his neck and brought him back down to me, kissing him a little more roughly.  
"Nezumi" I lightly whispered.  
I could feel his smile on my mouth. As he continued to kiss me he suddenly rolled the tip of his tongue over my bottom lip, causing me to stop.   
Beside me I heard my heart monitor speed up.  
"Shion." Nezumi said, separating our mouths.  
He looked down at me, his eyes holding a depth that hadn't been there before.  
"I should probably go before the nurses get worried your heart monitor is broken." He said, keeping our faces close.  
I stared back up at him, trying to hide my sadness that he had to go.  
"Ok." I whispered. My head still felt foggy.  
Nezumi straightened up and gave me another smile.  
"I'll be back soon, my prince."  
I blushed and wiped the corner of my mouth.  
"O-Ok."  
With that Nezumi bent down and left one last quick kiss on my forehead before leaving.  
I stared as he walked out the door. Still not sure what to make of this now.  
So.. were we together now?   
I sunk into the hospital bed.   
I was so confused.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *LITTLE LEMON WARNING* Sorry it took me longer to update. My computer crashed and erased it. But hope it's okay!

"We're just going to give you this medicine to take home in case anything happens again. All the instructions are on there. You can leave in the morning." The doctor said standing by my bed. He ripped off a piece of paper from his notepad and placed it on the table.  
"Ok thanks" I smiled up.  
The doctor gave a little nod and wandered out of the room.

I sighed and let my head fall back with a soft thunk on the pillow.  
Where was Nezumi? He had been gone for almost 3 hours now. I glanced over at the door hoping it would open. Didn't hospitals have visiting hours? Since he wasn't family he probably couldn't come in. My heart sunk at the thought but then again I was really nervous to see him again. We had just kissed. What did he think of that? What did I think of that? Did he regret it? Was I a bad kisser?   
I lightly traveled a finger along my bottom lip. Could we maybe..do it again?  
I closed my eyes and remembered the boy. His silky raven hair had felt so wonderful in my fingers. And the way he moved or walked was so graceful. I really admired him.  
Suddenly I heard a little tap come from my window.   
"Ah!" I gasped as the face came into view from the other side of the window.   
The light from the room made it give off an eerie glow and it's eyes pierced right through me.   
As I got out of a state of shock I realized it was the same boy i had just been thinking about.  
"Nezumi!" I yelled and scrambled out of bed and over to the window. It opened with a little click.  
"What are you doing?!" I asked him as he crawled through.  
"They wouldn't let me in." He replied, swinging both his legs through and standing up.  
"So you came through the window?!"  
Nezumi looked up at me with an annoyed look his face saying 'duh'.  
"What, did you not want me to come?" He asked, taking a few steps closer to me, only to make me back up.  
"No, that's not it! It's just I don't want you to get in trouble." I reassured him.  
I felt my back press into the cold wall behind me but Nezumi kept pressing closer. His breath made a few strands of my hair waver  
"I'm honored that my prince would worry about me." He replied quietly, smiling down at me.  
My heart beat a little faster at his solid form right there. I stood there anticipating something, even maybe wanting something but suddenly he moved away.  
"I'm gonna sleep in the chair. Oh and your teachers said since you're in the hospital they'll excuse you from all your assignments for these couple days." He said, moving to a cushioned chair and sitting down.  
"Really?" I asked. I moved away from the cold wall, almost disappointed nothing had happened.  
"Mh hm." Nezumi nodded his head.  
"Oh. Thanks." I told him.  
I moved over to my bed and sat down. Nezumi already had his head resting in his palm and his eyes closed.  
He came to see me even though he wasn't allowed? My heart swelled for him. He really had wanted to see me.  
"Stop smiling like that at me, it's creeping me out." The dark haired said with a hint of amusement. His eyes still closed.  
"Oh! Uh sorry." I turned away and laid down on my bed, embarrassed.  
I still needed to ask him tons questions.   
Were we together? Did he actually like me? But I didn't know how to. It would be awkward to just spit them out now. But I still wanted to talk to him more before I went to bed. I looked over at his figure.  
"Do you have any siblings?" I asked him carefully.  
Nezumi glanced up at my words. I didn't think he was going to answer but he opened his mouth after a few seconds.  
"Not really. My uncle has a kid though. She's such a brat. I hate living with them."  
I nodded at the new information.  
"Do you do any sports or anything after school?" I asked again.  
Nezumi paused and lifted his closed eyelids slightly.  
"I've been in a few plays at the local theatre."  
He was in plays? I thought of all the books he read. A lot of them were plays right? When I first met him I would of been shocked to find out he did that kind of stuff. He had seemed like a rough, carefree guy but now that I knew him..  
"What are the plays about?"  
"A lot of stuff."  
"What's your favorite one?"  
"Probably hamlet."  
"Are you an actor in that one?"  
He was quiet for a few more seconds.  
"Yea"  
"Really? Who are you? Can I come see you sometime?"  
Suddenly a fluffy thing attacked my face.  
"Stop asking so many questions about it!" Nezumi told me, irritated.  
The pillow fell from my face into my arms.  
"It just seems cool, I like knowing more about you." I told him, not bothered by his words in the slightest.  
Nezumi turned his head slightly to look at the window. I could tell what I had made him happy despite the way he was acting.  
"Go to sleep. You need to rest." He ordered me, putting his head back into place on his palm.  
I lightly threw the pillow back at him.  
"Here. That should make sleeping there better."  
There wasn't any room on the bed or I would have told him he could sleep up here. I felt bad for him taking the chair.  
"Thanks." He said quietly.  
"Good night Shion." I heard him whisper to me a few seconds later.  
"Night Nezumi." I said with a smile.  
I had learned even more about him. It made me feel like I had made a great achievement.

 

The next morning when I woke Nezumi was gone. My change of clothes laid on a table. Once I was ready I signed out of the hospital.  
Should I just head home? I didn't want to worry Nezumi. But where was he? When the sliding glass door opened for me I found the dark haired boy on a bench outside.  
"Finally. The doctor came in your room and I had to leave before he noticed me." The boy said, standing up.  
"Oh, ok. I was worried."  
Nezumi smiled.  
"Come on. We should head home."  
I felt my heart jump again when he grabbed my hand.  
"Ok" I beamed up to him.

Later when we got back to my house I got a good look of myself in the mirror. My scar had turned a darker red and seemed even more sensitive then usual. I could feel the ridges of my skin when I glided my thumb across it. There were also dark circles under my eyes. I looked so different from other people. It felt like a curse. It was the reason most people were wary of me.  
The smell of food soon brought me back. Was Nezumi cooking lunch? We hadn't talked at all about what had happened between us over the last few days. It made me confused and even a little irritated.  
"Shion, come eat!" A voice yelled up.  
"Coming!" I replied.  
My feet clunked down the stairs to the kitchen.  
"Sit down. I'll get a bowl for you." Nezumi told me. He reached up into a little cabinet as I obeyed.  
"Soup?" I asked.  
"What else would it be?"  
I smiled at Nezumi. I felt so lucky to find him.  
We ate quickly and read on the couch together afterwards.

It was a pretty boring and quiet afternoon. We didn't really talk and I sat there staring at my book, none of it sinking in. I think it was about some girl but I was too aware of the boy laying in front of me.  
Nezumi shifted his feet so they were tangled with mine, making it even more harder to read. It was the most physical contact we'd had all day. I glanced up at the boy who laid on the other side of the couch. We were facing each other but his nose was stuck in his book. We had been reading for hours now and I was gradually getting bored.  
I took all the courage I had and moved my feet a little more to tangle us tighter. I stared at my book intently while I waited to see if he would give any response.  
Suddenly Nezumi moved from the corner of my eye and slender fingers attacked my foot.  
I looked at him in surprise till laughter came over me.  
"So you are ticklish." Nezumi commented. There was a sinister gleam in his eyes.  
His fingers traveled up my ankle.  
"Haha- stop it!" I giggled. I tried not to kick him but my legs were thrashing around, trying to get away.  
He crawled up till he reached my stomach, drawing more hysterical giggles out of me.  
"Nezumi!" I laughed.  
Through my halfway closed eyelids I could see a bright smile on his face. He was so beautiful.  
He tickled my sides with both his hands, making me laugh even harder than before. My body thrashed around trying to make it stop but also enjoying it slightly. My hands found his arms and pulled.  
"Nezumi! Stop-haha-it!"  
He finally stopped tickling me but left his hands where they were.  
"I didn't know Shion was that ticklish." Nezumi smiled down at me.  
My face was heated and I still giggled slightly from the after affects of my torture. I looked up at him with a smile only to realize the position we were in was quite.. close.  
I laid on my back and Nezumi was positioned above me with his hands around my waist. My giggling died out and I looked him in the eyes.  
"Nezumi-" I started but he suddenly sat up. Making his way back to his regular spot on the couch and picked up his book like nothing had happened.  
I propped myself up on my elbows, a blush clear on my face. He was so far away now. Why did he leave? I.. still wanted him.  
Before I could think twice I got up, crawled towards him and positioned myself over him. That caught his attention.  
"Shion? What-"  
I brought my lips to his. Why wouldn't he talk about anything that had happened between us? He seemed to keep running away. I could feel Nezumi tense beneath me. I moved my lips a little bit, remembering how he had the other day. Finally Nezumi responded and closed his eyes, wrapping his hands around my waist. He nipped at my lip softly and started taking control of the kiss.  
I wound my hands back into his hair. Kissing Nezumi like this was very enjoyable.  
Suddenly Nezumi pulled me sharply down so I was laying on him. I gave a little gasp at his sudden movement but managed to keep my mouth on his. His tongue licked softly at my closed lips, asking for an opening that I slowly created. I was surprised at how much force Nezumi was using. His hands pressed me into him almost with a death grip. I whined a little at his movements.  
As I lifted up slightly to catch a breath of air I looked at his face. He was flushed with his eyes half closed, looking at me. It was amazing how sexy he was at that moment. I gave a little smile knowing I had been the one to cause him to look like that and lowered my mouth back to his.  
We kissed for another minute or two, only pausing to take a gasping breath. My hands had taken his hair out of his usual ponytail and it now laid sprawled out against the couch around his head.  
I finally separated us and laid my head on his chest, listening to our heavy breathing. His arms circled fully around me and squeezed, causing me to lightly squeeze him back. The previous actions had left me winded and his warm body only lulled me into the darkness.  
Nezumi's breath slowly evened out.  
"We should go to bed. You need rest." He told me. I didn't want to get up though. But I did need to sleep, I had only just gotten out of the hospital.  
"Let's just sleep here." I mumbled into Nezumi's shirt. I tightened my arms around him proving I wasn't going to get up. I could feel Nezumi's chest tighten as he chuckled.  
"No, come on, your squishing me here. There's more room in your bed."  
He stood up, carrying my form that wrapped around him up the stairs and into my bedroom. There was no way I was letting go.  
Finally he dropped me on the bed, making my body bounce a little.  
"I'm gonna take a quick shower. I smell like hospital." Nezumi said from above me. Once I nodded he grabbed a change of clothes and left.  
I laid on back on my bed.  
Good job Shion! You made a move! I smiled to myself and clung the blanket close to my face in happiness. Hopefully Nezumi didn't think I was too clingy from how I just acted.  
I turned around onto my stomach and placed a pillow under my chin to prop my head up. I sure was tired. Last night I hadn't slept very well since I was in such a new place.  
I closed my eyes and thought of Nezumi again. He brought another smile to my face. We hadn't admitted how we felt about each other yet. Well at least not through words. Personally I was kinda scared to, maybe Nezumi felt the same way.   
I laid my heavy head more comfortably on the pillow, starting to drift off. Maybe me and Nezumi didn't need to confess. Could we could be fine like this? My mind slowly went blank.

I felt soft finger tips lightly draw across my back. I hummed into them, liking the soft pressure. They glided up and down in little circles. Finally I opened my eyes realizing someone was actually there and it wasn't just a dream.  
"Nezumi?" I asked, turning my head and glancing up at the wet haired boy.  
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."  
I turned around groggily and yawned.  
"It's ok."  
Nezumi crawled over me to the other side of the bed. I glanced at the clock. 11:34pm. I had only been asleep for a few minutes surprisingly, though it felt longer. My back tingled at the pressure that still ghosted on my back. I had always loved massages.

Nezumi fumbled under the blanket and lightly pressed into my back. We were quiet for a few minutes, listening to each other breath.  
"It's our last night together here, isn't it. Your mom comes back tomorrow." Nezumi commented behind me. His breath warmed the back of my neck.  
"I guess it is." I whispered. Truthfully I was disappointed. It was nice living with Nezumi. He took good care of me and was fun to hang around.  
"I'll invite you over for a sleepover sometime." I mentioned. Though I knew it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't be just the two of us in our own world like it was now.  
I felt his slender arms wrap behind me and I leaned back into his chest a little. He felt so good. So warm.

His light fingertips found my skin again at the little part between my pants and where my shirt had lifted slightly. He drew more careful circles, sometimes going up a little bit but only to come back down. I hummed into the soothing motion some more. When his hand stopped after a few minutes I grabbed it gently.  
"Keep doing that." I begged slightly embarrassed.  
I felt his lips lightly touch the back of my neck.  
"Ok."  
He used more of his hand on my skin this time, rubbing his palm across my stomach and up to my chest. I could tell it wasn't just an accident when his thumb brushed the little pink nub under my shirt.  
"Do you want me to stop?" Nezumi breathed out behind me.  
"No."   
I grabbed his hand from under my shirt and pressed him more into me. At his light pinch I let out a little whine.  
"Keep going." I begged.  
As he carefully played with my chest I felt his other arm slide beneath me and start to play with the top hem of my pants. Every now and then after they teased the skin above they would dip slightly under the waistband. His mesmerizing touches started to cause heat to travel down into my groin.  
I groaned out slightly, it was hard to keep any thought in my head for more than a second now.  
"Mmn. Nezumi" I whined.  
Suddenly his fingers traveled lower than they had been under my waist band and gently wrapped around my already half hard member. This was the first time he had touched me directly. Well no one had touched me like this before.  
I grabbed firmly at my sheet with a hand as he slowly moved his hand up and down. It gave a way different feeling than the few times I had done it to myself. I closed my eyes tight and tried to control myself. My breath turned jagged again as Nezumi got a little faster.  
"Mngh." I moaned into my blanket. This was embarrassing.   
Nezumi flipped me on my back quickly and brought his lips down on mine. His hand had left my throbbing member and now pressed lightly into my hip bone.  
I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought him closer.  
"Shion." I heard him whisper quietly before crashing back into me.  
He grabbed my hand from around his neck and brought it down to his pants. I could feel him hard underneath.  
"Can you?" Nezumi asked hopefully.  
For my response I gripped around him slowly and carefully, it made him draw in a quick breath. When I got over the fact I was actually touching Nezumi I started carefully moving my hand. I was pretty clumsy and doubted i was any good but Nezumi still seemed to enjoy it. Looking up into his face I found it flushed and his eyes closed in pleasure. Just by looking at him I felt a soft wanting pain in my lower body. As if Nezumi could tell, he returned his hand to beneath my pants.  
I moved my hand a little faster, in time with Nezumi. I could tell I was reaching my limit. His mouth clumsily found mine again and kissed me deeply.  
"Mn-Nezumi." I warned.  
He pumped faster, breathing heavily. He was at his limit too. I tried to pay attention to my hand on him but my mind felt too foggy for anything other then the friction he was creating. Suddenly he jerked into me causing his hand to tighten around me.  
"Hah! Nez-"  
My body trembled violently as I reached my climax, I could feel Nezumi reach his too and a few seconds later he collapsed on top me. It felt hot and sticky between us and our breathing came out heavily  
I wrapped my arms around him, trying to calm my body. My mind felt so fuzzy and scattered.  
"Not so bad for a guarded prince." Nezumi mentioned jaggedly from my chest. I let out a little noise of approval.  
God. That had felt really good.  
A few minutes later we sank into the darkness of sleep, still a little confused about what we were to each other. All I really knew was that I didn't want him to leave tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

An arm was draped securely around me when I woke up.   
I cracked open my eyes to find myself facing Nezumi, our foreheads lightly touching. He was still asleep, his eyes heavily closed.   
His warm breath drifted across my mouth. I closed my eyes and leaned into him, liking the comfort.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon and cast a light warm glow over the bedroom. It was the calmest I could ever remember being.  
While lost in the peacefulness time passed and Nezumi finally stirred.  
I brought my head up to look at him as his dreary eyes opened. He seemed a little surprised to find me right there but his eyes quickly softened.  
"Good morning Nezumi." I smiled at him. A smile came across his face too.  
"Good morning my prince. Had a good sleep?"  
I wrapped my arms around his torso and brought us tightly together.  
"Oh yes, a very good one."  
Nezumi chuckled and rested his chin on the top of my head that was tucked beneath him.  
We laid like that for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company.  
"We should probably clean up. Your mom is gonna get back around noon and it would be hard to explain what's on our clothes."  
I blushed as he mentioned last night.  
"Yeah. Ok."

We scrambled out of bed and I threw our clothes in the washer. We had kept the house fairly clean over the course of the week but still took over an hour of wiping tables and taking out trash till I knew my mom would be satisfied. As the hours went by me and Nezumi kept glancing over at each other. He seemed to distract me even more now. A few times I couldn't help but remember what we had done last night. It made me get nervous and my cheeks brighten up. Surely we were officially together now?

I glanced over at Nezumi. He was fixing the couch cushions, his head facing away from me.  
The need for us to talk about what we were seemed to have just grown stronger. He was.. more than a fiend. But it felt weird to call him my lover. And enough time had passed that it would be awkward if I asked.

Nezumi flopped down on the sofa with an exasperated sigh. I plopped down next to him as soon as I finished setting the tv remote in the right spot.  
"I've decided. I hate cleaning." Nezumi confessed.  
I looked over at him. His eyes were closed and he had his head tilted back slightly.  
"Yeah. It's tough work."  
I turned back around and stared into the space in front of me.  
"When should your mom be home?" The dark haired boy asked.  
"In a little more than a half hour. She was supposed to leave her hotel around 11 and it takes an hour to drive from there to here."  
Nezumi brought his eyes to mine.  
"And when does your friend Safu get back?"  
I looked into the gray orbs, trying to read them as they slowly came closer.  
"Uh not till tomorrow."  
Nezumi carefully closed the space between us and brought his lips gently to mine.  
"Good."  
He cupped the back of my head and kissed me in the gentlest way I could imagine. Moving his lips slowly and allowing me to take my time.  
My hands found his wrists and held them in place.  
"Do you think we can do this more often?" Nezumi whispered in my ear. His breath sending goosebumps down my neck.  
"I would like that." I replied.  
His fingers played with my tufts of white hair and slid down my neck. I brought my head into his lap as he continued. It was surprisingly soothing and I closed my eyes, enjoying it. My mom wouldn't be back for a little while, and this was my last day living with Nezumi.   
I didn't want it to ever end.  
Nezumi's fingers ran through my white hair and played with the shorter strands near the bottom. I sank my head into his lap a little more and wrapped one arm around the bottom of his torso. His hand traveled down the back of my spine sending little shivers through me. I could only barely feel his light touches through my shirt.  
He found a sliver of bare skin on my lower back and drew lightly traced it before lifting his hand up my shirt and feeling the skin underneath.  
I closed my eyes a little tighter and pressed my face into his leg, his fingers almost tickled me as they grazed my back.  
He found a stripe of extra sensitive red and traced it up and down my back. It felt like he was taunting me with pleasure.  
"Do you like me touching you here?" Nezumi asked to my tense form below him.  
I nodded my head into his pants.  
"Keep doing that." I softly begged. Nezumi gave a little chuckle.  
"Will do, your majesty."  
Time past quickly as his fingers drifted around my skin. Suddenly he bent down and lightly kissed my spine before drawing back up.  
"Your mom should be here soon. Do you wanna wait on the porch for her? She's probably dying to see you."  
I sat up from Nezumi's lap and looked into at his face, it was gentle and softened from his regular look. I dreaded going back to school where I knew that look he gave now wouldn't show.  
"Yeah."

We waited for a few minutes on the front door. Even with the noon sun there was a crisp chill in the air. My bare hands and nose tingled with the cold. I asked Nezumi a few questions about how he liked school and told him how I was grateful he had stayed home these past days with me. I owed him my life. What if I had been home alone when I had had that attack?  
Shortly after my mom came into the driveway. As soon as her car was parked she flung open her door and ran towards me.  
"Shion! I'm so glad you're ok, I was so worried. I should have just stayed home." She told me as she grasped me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her and squeezed back, trying to breath.  
"No- I'm totally fine. It's good you went. How'd it go?"  
I pulled back and looked into my moms slightly teary eyed face.  
"Really well actually. I got a lot of money from the chef from showing him tips and different ways to cook. But enough about me, how'd did your guys week go?" She looked over at me and Nezumi. I felt a light blush trying to push its way into my cheeks as I remembered everything. A lot of stuff sure had happened.  
"Good." I told my mom with a smile. I saw Nezumi's head nod in agreement from the corner of my eye.  
"Shion didn't try to throw too many crazy parties." Nezumi joked.  
My mom laughed at his words.  
"That's good. Now let's get inside, it's freezing out here."  
We headed into the door and talked in the kitchen about my hospital visit and my moms experiences in the city.  
She told us that every other week she would be going back down there Saturday and Sunday. My eyes lifted from the wood lines I had been tracing on the table.  
"Really?" I asked.  
My mom nodded.  
"Yup! And if you," she motioned to Nezumi. "could stay here during then that'd be great."  
Nezumi looked up at her with a smile. "Sure thing."  
I could see a little devilish smirk play at his lips as my mom turned away and got out meat for sandwiches.

We ate lunch together then Nezumi gathered his stuff and went home. It felt empty in the house now without him. I turned on some music and sat down on the couch with a book.  
"So what happened between you and Nezumi?" A voice asked. I chocked on my spit and looked up to find my mom sitting down beside me.  
"Me and Nezumi? Uh not much. We became.. good friends. Why?"  
My mom quirked an eyebrow. "I'm your mom, I can sense when something's different. But that's good. I'm so happy he was here. Hopefully he had fun and you weren't too annoying." She joked with a slight laugh at the end.  
I chuckled. "I don't think I was. He seemed to like it here."  
"Good."  
My mom got up.  
"I'm going to unpack my bags." She said, and headed up stairs. I nodded and watched her go, finally taking a breath as she disappeared aorund the corner.  
I didn't like not telling my mom what had happened between us but I was scared to. Would she not accept it? It's not like we were really a couple anyway right? I brought my attention back to the book in my hands and continued reading till late at night, silently dreading sleeping in my bed alone tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long to update! I was on vacation and such but here you go~


	13. Chapter 13

"Ok, make sure you tell your teacher if you feel even slightly off." My mom reminded me for the thousandth time as I swung open the front door. My bus screeched to a stop at the end of my driveway.  
"I know mom. Love you!" I waved at her, the worry in her eyes radiating.  
I sprinted to my bus with my back pack banging into my back.

It was Monday, my first day back to school since before my mom left and I spent that week with my gray eyed boy. Nezumi had said my teachers had dismissed me from assignments but I knew I would still have to catch up on what everyone learned in each class. The thought lowered my enthusiasm for the day.

Quickly I got up the couple stairs and the bus driver greeted me. Safu was already sitting in our usual spot. We had had a short time to talk Sunday when she got back but only about my trip to the hospital. I hadn't told her about me and Nezumi. Then again, I didn't know if I wanted to tell her or even how.  
I plopped down beside her and the bus drove onward. Safu was reading a book in her hands.  
"I need those manga's back. I forgot to ask earlier. But did you like them?" She asked, closing her book and facing me with a wicked grin.  
My eyes widened as I remembered the horrid books that Nezumi had found under my bed. They were still there, I hoped my mom didn't decide to randomly clean my room.  
"No, I didn't." I told her sternly. "Well they did teach me more information but not the kind of stuff I needed to know! Why would I need to know that?" I chuckled, way too forcibly and tense.   
Good going Shion, now she probably suspected something.  
Her eyebrows knit together as she looked at me.  
"Well I still need them back. I'll stop by later after school."  
I shook my head ok, not daring to say anything more to raise suspicion.  
We got to school and went our separate ways. I actually found that I missed the whole going to school thing. With all the people rushing around to get to their next class, and banging of lockers.  
I walked into my science class and sat down. The teacher sat at his desk and students around me mingled. As I turned around to glance at the clock by the door I found Nezumi strolling in. I stared at him as he walked to his seat. My heart beat a little louder. The dark haired boy turned his head and caught my eyes. He smiled one of his rare smiles at me before turning away again and sitting down.   
What was I doing? I quickly turned back to the front of the room as the bell rung.   
How was I supposed to act around Nezumi now? I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about this earlier. I was pretty sure we were.. together and all, but should we act like a couple or stay how we were? Nezumi didn't seem to be the kind of person to show affection to someone in front of others.  
The teacher clapped his hands to draw our attention and started talking about the lesson for today.  
I needed to focus.  
I tried my best to slip Nezumi into a corner of my mind and watch the teacher, I had a lot of work to catch up wasn't time to be some confused adolescent lover.

 

"Think Safu will let you sit with me today?" Nezumi asked. We were in gym running around the track outside. The sun beat down on us and warmed us up more than I would have liked.  
"I-I think." I stuttered. We hadn't spoken at all till now, it felt awkward not knowing how to act.  
"Ok."  
Our feet hitting the ground was the only noise after that as we ran.  
The teacher called us in from our torture and we got dressed in a sweaty locker room. Everyone bickered around us as I got changed and Nezumi played with his shoes, pretending to be busy. He wouldn't change unless he managed to get into the one bathroom quick enough or everyone was already out. Besides me of course. It made me happy he was comfortable around me now.

I waited for him once the bathroom opened up and everyone began to leave. Good thing he was a fast changer.  
The lock clacked as it opened after a minute or two.  
"Thanks for waiting. Let's go." Nezumi told me as he threw his gym clothes in his locker.  
"Ok." And followed him out the door, staring at the floor in front of me.

"Are you ok?" Nezumi asked. We sat above the stage, the play members were just wrapping up their last scene below us. We had been quiet for a long time, eating lunch. I would of said something to him earlier but just didn't know what. Sadly that had just made things more awkward.  
"Y-yeah. I'm fine."  
Nezumi scrunched his eyebrows down slightly.  
"You can tell me anything you know. I'm not someone that's going to judge."  
I fidgeted with my fork, stabbing little holes into the foam tray.  
"It's really nothing."  
Nezumi placed his tray aside and scooted silently closer to me.  
"Are you embarrassed by me?" He asked.  
I turned to him sharply.  
"No!.. I'm just not used to this."  
Nezumi slid slightly closer, his knee touching mine.  
"You sure?" He asked as he grabbed my chin. He looked me sternly in the eyes.  
"Y-yeah."  
His thumb caressed my chin then followed a path to the side of my face.  
"Ok. "  
His eyes had softened slightly.  
"I just don't know how to.. act." I told him.  
Nezumi looked up at my eyes.  
"You can act like whatever you want, don't base yourself on other peoples choices and thoughts."  
They were wise words and thoughtful but they didn't answer my problem.  
"It's not that. I don't know how to act.. around you." I confessed quietly.  
Nezumi moved his other hand to my lips, gently pressing down on them and testing their softness.  
"You can act however you want with me. I just want it to be Shion standing beside me."  
His words struck deep. I hadn't ever felt this wanted to anyone. I had Safu and my mom and they loved and watched out for me but I always pictured myself as a burden to them. With Nezumi it felt different, I felt more equal to him.  
I reached up and placed my hand over his that rested on my cheek.  
I looked down with my eyes half lidded.  
"Thank you."  
He guided my head to his chest.  
"You don't need to thank me."  
I closed my eyes against his shirt with my arms wrapped around him. It had become silent since the play members had at one point packed up and left. I grabbed Nezumi a little tighter as I felt my eyes water slightly. He was probably the most important thing to me now. And I wasn't ever going to let him leave.

 

A few days passed. It was full of secretive glances and soft kisses once we were out of sight. Me and Nezumi had become way more comfortable with our relationship. We didn't have any more awkward silences when we were alone.

"Promise me you'll sit next to me tomorrow. Ok? It's getting boring sitting by girls who don't stop talking about their hair and boyfriends." Safu said from across my desk during our one class together.  
"Ok, ok. Sorry. But I promise."  
She gave me a little smile.  
"Good. Oh and you got number 4 wrong. It should equal 5 to the ninth power."  
I looked down at my worksheet. How in the world was it supposed to equal that? I gave it a sour look and changed my answer.  
"So what do you and Nezumi even do during lunch? Just sit somewhere and talk? I can't imagine that would have you so eager to sit with him every day.  
I blew away my eraser shavings with a slight blush. I hadn't told anyone about me and Nezumi yet.  
"Not much."  
Truthfully most of the time was usually spent with me either pushed against a wall or on his lap while we kissed. We didn't try to go any farther than that since we were at school.  
I remembered how just an hour ago I was doing that exact thing. Nezumi had seemed pretty eager today. I had almost been late to my class right after lunch.  
Safu set her chin in her palm.  
"If you just hang out why do you have that blush on your face." Safu asked. I refused to look her in the eyes knowing she would see right through me.  
"I don't know, I'm just hot right now."  
She could totally tell I was lying. I wanted out of this class as soon as possible. Safu leaned in closer.  
"Then why do you also have that mark on your neck? It wasn't there earlier on the bus." She said, now whispering.  
My hand clasped over my neck to cover it. Did Nezumi leave a mark?? Luckily it was low enough that if I moved the collar of my shirt some so it would hide it. I stayed quiet as Safu stared at me with a smile.  
"So, he's your boyfriend now right? You're going to be telling me everything later just so you know. Hope you don't mind that I'm coming over right after school."  
I got even redder as she finally figured it out.  
"Ok. Fine, I'll tell you about it later. Just be quiet right now!"  
She gave me another smile.  
"Ok"

Class ended and a big weight felt like it had been lifted off my chest. I was glad Safu knew but also kind of scared. I knew she wouldn't tell anyone but I felt like she would bring it up to Nezumi and make something weird between us. Plus she would probably bother me about it a lot.

I headed to my last class of the day, one that I had with Nezumi. In this one we actually sat right next to each other. The whole time the teacher lectured the class and at the last 15 minutes gave us a surprise pop quiz. Under the desk Nezumi's calf had been pressed up against mine the whole time. It made the class a million times better. But was also hard to focus.  
"Hey, you have a sharpener right?" Nezumi whispered, leaning closer to me and waving his broken pencil.  
I jumped a little as his voice startled me away from the teacher but soon reached into my bag.  
"Yeah, here." I said, handing it to him.  
His fingers brushed mine for a second as he grabbed it, lingering just a tad longer than they should have.  
"Thanks." He said, his voice a little deeper than before.

The bell rung in what felt like a short time. I had really learned to love that class. I gathered my books from the desk as students began to leave. The teacher left the room too with a stack of papers in his hand that I could only assume he needed to make copies with. I glanced over to Nezumi to find a girl walking up to him. She had dark brown hair and tall boots on that clacked on the ground as she came over.  
"Hey Nezumi, do you wanna go on a date later today? Me and my friends were going to go dancing." She asked him. He stood at the desk next to mine listening to her.  
"Sorry Jenna, can't. I'm already taken." He told her. My ears pricked up and I continued to pretend to gather my stuff as I listened intently at them beside me.  
"You are?! By who?" She asked him surprised. My face grew hot as I waited for Nezumi to just walk past her and leave her wondering. But he didn't.  
Instead I felt the collar of my shirt be pulled roughly and Nezumi's lips suddenly on mine.  
What was he doing?!  
His arm wrapped around my waist had pulled me tightly to him.  
His lips were hot and soft, drowning me out of reality as I closed my eyes. Quickly the heat left my lips and Nezumi breathed from a few inches away. His eyes were full of love as he looked at me. I was still flush against him and slightly winded as he whispered.  
"By him."  
I suddenly remembered the girl that was right there and glanced at her somewhat in horror.  
"Sickos!" She yelled at us after a few seconds and scrambled out of the classroom, leaving just us there.  
I stood there pressed against Nezumi in a little shock but a smile quickly found my face.  
"You know the whole school is going to know about us now right?"I told him. Nezumi smiled back and brought his face closer.  
"I know. Does that mean I can kiss you in public now?" He asked slightly devilishly.  
"I guess." I said, grinning as his lips met mine again.


	14. Chapter 14

Everyone knew. Everyone. It was nice but also a little embarrassing. Me and Nezumi were officially a couple to the whole school.  
Being able to hold his hand more was amazing but I felt eyes on me more than ever. It made me extremely uncomfortable.  
Luckily we weren't the only guys in a relationship in the school but with Nezumi's popularity we were defiantly the most talked about.

I had survived a week of this. Truthfully I kinda regretted letting everyone know.  
The first day the rumor spread it was an absolute chaos of confrontations from girls to both me and Nezumi and whispers when we walked by. But as the week went on more people accepted it and stopped bothering us. Though not enough where we could really be comfortable and walk freely.  
But despite what felt like the whole world knowing, I hadn't told my mom yet. I was almost scared to. How would she take it? I knew she would be fine but I just couldn't bring the courage.  
I placed my chin in my palm and tried to focus on my teacher with a sigh.  
From the moment everyone knew, we were never left alone or able to let our guards down. We would hear people trying to find our lunch spot and have to hide and be quiet. They knew we went somewhere near the auditorium but had no clue where besides that. Me and Nezumi hadn't gotten together after school at all. We hadn't even kissed since 2 days ago. It was starting to get irritating. I was relieved when Thursday came and I knew I only had two more days to go through till the weekend. School was now horrible to me besides the fact it was the only place I really saw my lover.

"Nezumi!" Someone yelled up mockingly.  
"I know you're in here." The girl said. Her friends giggled beside her.  
Up the stairs Nezumi and I were tucked behind a curtain. There weren't many places to hide on the catwalk.  
Why did they have to look for us every lunch hour?  
"Shion is with you too, isn't he. Hope you two aren't doing anything bad together." The same girl mocked again as they wandered around.  
They had shown up right as we were finally going to have some steamy alone time too! It had been days since we'd kissed besides the occasional quick peck.

The girls opened a door a few meters over that led to a closet, making a disappointed noise when they didn't find us. They crept a little closer and Nezumi tightened his grip on my arm. We were tucked in a tight space, squatting in front of each other.  
We tried to breath softer and not make any noise. If we were found out we would probably have to end up eating somewhere else.  
I really didn't want that.

Looking at Nezumi I could see he had his head turned to the side with a slight grimance. He seemed to enjoy this even less than me. If that was even possible.  
The girls giggled as they debated on what kind if dirty things we were up to. My face turned red at some of the things they mentioned and I looked at my shoes trying to hide my blushed cheeks from Nezumi.  
"I bet Shion's definitely a screamer." Girl one giggled.  
"Hehe, I wonder if Nezumi is secretly a sadist." Another one said.  
What?! What did they mean screamer? I didn't think I had really ever screamed in my life! Where's did they get that idea?  
I looked up at Nezumi to see him smiling a little bit. Did I not get something they did?  
I let a little puff of air out my nose. This was horrid.  
The girls wandered around a little bit more, surprisingly not checking over here. As they left at the concern of how eerie it was up here I gave a sigh of relief.  
"Finally."  
It had gotten much quieter without the girls here and the atmosphere changed into how it usually was.  
This was me and Nezumi's secret spot. No one else was allowed up here.  
Nezumi leaned a little closer and I brought my head up.  
"Hm, so is Shion a screamer?" He asked quite seductively close to my ear.  
What did that even mean?!  
"No, I'm not! Why would I scream?" I puffed out, a little angry and annoyed at whatever I wasn't getting.  
Nezumi pushed a little closer to me.  
"You sure? I bet I could make you." He said, bringing his lips close to mine.  
I blushed despite not really knowing what he meant. But the confusion drifted away as I longed for him to close the distance between us. Why'd he have to always tease me so much?  
I grabbed his hair and pulled him to me.  
At least I didn't have to see that knowing smile of his anymore.  
He captured my bottom lip between his I dug my fingers into his back. We didn't dare make too much noise in case someone heard us from the stage or another girl tried to find us. It was irritating not to just go with it and do whatever we wanted. We had to always be at least somewhat aware and keep our ears listening for anyone coming.  
"Your mom goes back to the city this weekend right?" Nezumi asked, giving me a few seconds to breath.  
I nodded my head as he kept his face close to mine to give me a peck in between his sentences.  
"Good. She wanted me to stay over with you for the time she's gone."  
I opened my eyes remembering. My mom had said that. I felt my heart beat a little faster. Me and Nezumi could finally be alone there!  
"She leaves right after I get home Friday. We can just go home together from school, ok?" I implored.  
I backed up a few inches to be able to talk him more clearly but he only closed that distance again as soon as it was made.  
"Sounds good." He whispered. "Just no bus."  
And he crashed his lips back into mine.  
"Brnnngggg"   
Our time was up.

"Safu what does it mean when someone asks if you're a screamer?" I asked through the phone. I closed my blinds as I heard her chuckle.  
"Why?" She asked.   
I switched the phone to my other ear.  
"Because someone said they bet I was and then Nezumi asked. Do you know what it means?"  
Her scratchy laugh through the speaker made me nervous.  
"Ask Nezumi." She told me. "He can tell you."  
I gave her a grunt of disapproval.  
"Why can't you just tell me?"  
I threw my dirty clothes in my basket and hopped on my bed.  
"It's just better for Nezumi to answer that. Well I'm going to bed, see ya tomorrow! Oh and don't forget we have a math quiz tomorrow." Safu said quickly.  
"Yeah ok. See ya."  
The phone ended with a beep.  
I climbed under my covers and hugged my pillow.  
Guess I would just ask Nezumi when he came over tomorrow.  
When I thought about him spending the night again it made me excited but also.. a bit scared.  
We were together. Things had been going very well despite our limited time but I felt a bit worried to go any farther. I loved him, and he seemed to love me but didn't it also hurt when guys went all the way?  
I thought back to the manga's.  
Some seemed like it hurt but others made it look like it felt good. Which was true?  
I shook away my thoughts. What was I thinking? Just because Nezumi was spending the night again didn't mean we would end up doing.. that.  
I curled into a tighter ball as I thought about it.  
Nezumi didn't seem to be someone to really make me feel pain though. And I trusted him with everything.  
The image of him hovering over me and kissing me all over flashed through my mind. Truthfully even though I was scared I still wanted it.  
I squeezed my pillow. I needed to stop thinking about this. Tomorrow was Friday and I didn't want to act weird around him.  
Closing my eyes I found sleep not far away.

 

"See ya Sunday Shion! You guys have fun!" My mom yelled to us.  
She opened her car door and slammed it shut.  
How had the day flown so quickly?  
I looked over at Nezumi who was waving my mom bye from beside me on the doorstep.  
School had gone by in a blink of an eye. I didn't feel like I had prepared myself to spend the next few days with him yet. What were we even going to do? I didn't want him to be bored. Last time he had come over I had ended up in the hospital for most of it.  
I hadn't told Safu he was staying here either. At least that way I knew she wouldn't bug me about it later or even worse come over. She was my best friend but sometimes she was a little much.

"Do you wanna go watch a movie? We can cook dinner and go to bed afterwards." Nezumi asked.  
I looked one more time down the street my mom had just driven down.  
"Ok." I said, relieved he had thought of something to do.  
I closed the front door with a squeak.

 

"Come on, I don't bite." Nezumi teased.  
He sat on the other side of the couch, patting the spot next to him. After a second of thought I scampered over to him.  
"At least, not too much." He whispered into my ear as soon as I got close.  
My cheeks heated but I sat down. He immediately put an arm around me and brought me practically sitting on his lap.  
Being close to him still made my skin jump. I was always surprised to find him as warm as he was.  
I laid my head on his shoulder and watched our movie.  
The whole time he didn't try to kiss me once. It was odd for him.  
Even when it ended he only got up and said he would start dinner.  
Where was his usual teasing self? He hadn't even given me a nudge or squeeze when an awkward sex scene in the movie came up.  
I put the remote away and followed him.  
"Want breakfast for dinner? You have some bacon and eggs in here." Nezumi asked, his head stuck in the fridge as he talked.  
Bacon? Like I could ever resist that.  
"Yeah, I'll cook the eggs if you want." I replied.  
I walked over to him and he handed me the egg carton.  
"Go right ahead."  
I turned on the stove and cracked the eggs into a small pot above the burner. Nezumi stood beside me laying the bacon out on a frying pan.  
"Do you have any homework over the weekend?" I asked.  
Nezumi glanced at me with a small chuckle.  
"No. And even if I did I wouldn't do it if it took time away from being with you."  
I looked down at the sizzling eggs, happy at what he said but also a little worried.  
"I wouldn't want you to fail a class. You need good grades to get into college."  
Nezumi flipped a piece of bacon.  
"Don't worry about me."  
"You do plan on going to college, right?"  
Nezumi turned the stove lower and turned to me.  
"Why?" He asked.  
I stirred the eggs around, not meeting his eyes.  
"Well I was hoping maybe we could go to the same one. It would be nice if we could dorm together or rent someplace while we're going."  
He turned my side of the stove down too, reaching close beside me and taking a step forward.  
"That'd be nice. I'll think about your offer." He told me with a smile. He leaned slightly closer, his face slowly losing it's grin and taking a worried look.  
"Are you ok?"  
I quickly looked at him instead of examining my shoes.  
"Yeah, why?"  
He grab my hand and stared at our intertwined hands as his fingers played with mine.  
"You seem.. nervous. High-strung. I was wondering if I did something wrong."  
I gazed up at him.  
"No, no. You didn't do anything." I pressed.  
Nezumi looked back into my eyes.  
"Then what's wrong?"  
His staring made me nervous.  
"It's nothing."  
I couldn't tell him I was nervous of how far we would go. And even a little scared.  
"You sure?" He pressed.  
"Yeah."  
With the look he gave I could tell he knew I wasn't saying something.  
He dove in for a kiss.  
"Remember you can tell me anything." He whispered before bringing his lips back to mine.  
Despite it being a long time since we were like this he kissed me gently.  
Nezumi placed his hand on the back of my head to draw me closer while I kept my hands placed on his chest.  
He suddenly smiled into it and broke from my lips.  
"What is it?" I asked him.  
He pressed me closer with his hand that had slid down to my back.  
"It's been awhile since we've really been alone."  
I smiled back up at him.  
It really had been a while. Not since the last time he came over when my mom left.  
"Yeah."  
He let me go and turned back to the stove.  
"Let's eat. Then we'll shower afterwards ok?"  
"Ok"

Bacon. One of the few things I couldn't describe with words. It was probably my favorite food despite the fact that most of it was just grease and fat. The way the crispy parts practically melted on your tongue made my mouth water.  
After the wonderful experience and about 15 strips later I put my plate in the dishwasher. Nezumi did the same soon after me.  
"Shower?" He asked.  
"Sure!"  
And I scampered up the stairs.  
Did he want me to go first? I grabbed a change of clothes from my room and found him close behind me. At the bathroom door I finally turned around.  
"Did you want to go first?" I asked the boy.  
He smiled and shook his head.  
"There is no first." He told me and grabbed my arm. "Come on."  
He gently pushed me forward and closed the door behind us.  
What?  
Oh.  
I finally got what he meant when he turned on the shower and laid our clothes on the counter.  
We were going to shower together?!  
He carefully pulled off his shirt and tested the water with his fingers.  
Shower  
No clothes  
Alone  
Nezumi  
My eyes widened.  
Nezumi turned when he noticed I wasn't getting undressed.  
"Do you not want to?"  
He already only had his boxers on.  
Of course I wanted to!  
"Y-yeah, I just don't want... to go too far."  
Nezumi stepped closer and lifted my chin.  
"Then we won't. Ok? Just shower with me." He reasurred.  
Just shower?  
My heart lifted.  
"Ok."  
I quickly unbuttoned my shirt and turned out of instinct as Nezumi got fully undressed and stepped under the spray of water.  
Once I was done I tried to quickly hurry over. It was a little embarrassing to see each other in full glory. Sure we had seen.. I guess everything before but not in this kind of light.  
I looked up at Nezumi. His hair was down and he was facing away from me, shampooing his hair.  
When had he become so sexy?  
I gazed at his scar on his back.  
Did he ever think about his parents? Surely that kind of thing made you at least a little depressed. And depression could lead to horrible things. But Nezumi had seemed fine. Maybe he really was. He was a strong person.  
I turned back around and squirted a bit of shampoo into my own hair. It was weird knowing someone was right beside me. Could we really resist not doing anything while we were in this kind of situation?   
Suddenly I felt fingers drift down my back. I flinched and turned around at the sudden touch.  
"Sorry. I've never seen your whole mark like this." Nezumi told me.  
I loosened my tense body as I saw him.   
He had always been fascinated by the red stripe traveling along my body.  
"It's ok. Can you hand me the soap?"  
The gray eyed boy glanced behind him where the soap laid. The bath wasn't big enough for me to really squeeze by him.  
He turned back to me with a dangerous grin.  
"Only if you can get it"  
How was I supposed to get it? He blocked the way!  
I tried slipping past him only to find his fingers tickle my sides.  
"Nezumi! Ha- don't-haha!"  
I slipped back away breathing heavy. He still stood in place.  
"Please?" I smiled.  
He shook his head.  
I tried to force my way pass him once more only to find myself being tickled even harder.  
Why did I have to be so ticklish!?  
I back away again and set my hands on my knees.  
It was even harder doing this sopping wet.  
I glanced up at Nezumi. He was still standing there grinning down at me wildly.  
I quickly sprung towards him and used the last idea I could think of.  
I grabbed his arms and brought my lips to his, pressing our bodies close together.  
It was a little awkward being wet and very naked but I did what I had to do.  
As I reached with one hand towards the bar behind him our feet suddenly slipped and we both fell. Luckily not very hard but I felt him wince beneath me.  
The soap fell down with us.  
Crap.  
He would realize if I didn't do something soon.  
As soon as he started opening his eyes again I crashed back into him, trying my best at kissing to keep his mind blank.  
My hand finally found the bar of soap and I gripped it tightly. I had planned on stopping right there but I found myself wanting more of him.  
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tightly to him. The water hit our legs as we kissed.  
When I suddenly felt his hand go lower and lightly touch my bottom I shot up.  
"I win." I said, smiling but breathing heavily.  
Nezumi looked up at me a little surprised.  
"Ok ok. I guess." He finally agreed.  
We got up from the bottom of the bathtub and continued our shower. It didn't last long till the water was turned off and we were wrapped in towels.  
"That wasn't so bad, right?" Nezumi asked, drying his hair with the towel.  
"I guess not." I smiled.  
He threw my pants to me.  
"Put those on."  
After debating wether or not to try to wrestle my shirt from him we climbed into my bed with our hair still damp and bare chested.  
Nezumi immediately pulled me to him.  
"I'm looking forward to doing this every other week."  
His breath fanned my face as he talked with our noses touching.  
"I'm looking forward to it too."  
I wrapped my arms around him and felt the soft skin on his back.  
It really had been a nice day with him. I didn't expect that I'd enjoy it as much as I did.  
A few minutes later my breathing slowed.  
"Gdnight." I slurred sleepily.  
"Night Shion."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- lemon

"Nezumi, I forgot to ask. What's a screamer?"  
"A screamer? Like the kind those girls mentioned the other day?" He asked curiously.  
I really wanted to know what it was but for some reason I was also nervous to ask. Was it a bad thing? Why did they think I was one? I gripped around him a little tighter and nodded my head from his chest.  
Nezumi let out a light chuckle. My cheek could feel his torso contract as he did so and I brought my head up to look at him.  
"What?" I asked defensively.  
He looked up at my face, laughter still in his eyes.  
"It's nothing"  
Nothing?!  
I hit his chest with my hand softly but hard enough to let the point across.  
"Come on, I just want to know!"  
"You don't need to know."  
"But you know what it is. Why shouldn't I?"  
Our arguing just made me more curious. There was a reason he wasn't telling me. Would it make me mad?  
"Do you really want to know?" Nezumi asked.  
I nodded my head egearly.  
The dark haired boy stopped for a second as if in thought then suddenly flipped me around and pinned me down against the bed, grabbing my wrists and trapping them above my head. A little gasp left my lips and he leaned erotically down onto my body till his lips touched my ear.  
"I can teach you if you want."  
His voice sent shivers down my spine. Teach me? I understood a little more as I felt his fingers graze up my thigh. Did it have something with doing.. that?  
"Wha? Uh I-I don't, I don't-"  
Nezumi suddenly sat up with a bright smile on his face.  
"I'm kidding." He chuckled. "I'll teach you what it is when you're ready."  
Below him I gave a stunned but confused expression.  
"Oh. Ah ok."  
Why was I so disappointed? It was like I wanted him to do something.  
Nezumi lightly kissed my cheek before getting off me and out of bed.  
"Let's do something fun."  
I swung my legs over and reached for a shirt in my drawer to the right trying to not notice my erratic heart beat.  
"Like what?"  
"I don't know. I'm not the genius here."

I popped my head out of the top hole of my shirt and thought for a second. Scanning the room I looked for something to do that didn't involve anything I was thinking at the moment, till my eyes rested on a blanket.  
"We could build a fort out of blankets. Maybe by the tv so we can watch something."  
Me and my mom had done that almost every day when I was younger. And maybe having my mind focused on something else would make me less.. desperate for more physical contact.  
"Hm, ok sure" He agreed.

We searched through all the closets and gathered blankets from all over the house. I found some string and duct tape and we were finally mostly ready.  
"It would be easiest to build in my room. I have a laptop in there we can watch shows on."  
Nezumi struggled to position the hundreds of blankets in his arms so they wouldn't fall.  
"Ok. Lead the way, your majesty."  
I gave him a little look before heading back upstairs.

We spent about 20 minutes hanging things, tying, and repositioning till we had successfully made half of my room a blanket fort. I was surprised to find I was able to sit up all the way inside it without my head touching.  
We laid down on the pillows that now covered the floor and placed the laptop in front of us. It was the perfect lighting to watch a movie and way more comfortable than the couch.  
I cuddled close to Nezumi and wrapped an extra blanket around us.  
"Have you seen Les Miserables?" The gray eyed boy asked.  
I looked up at him, slightly surprised to find him so close. His beautiful eyes reflected the light coming from the laptop.  
"Uh, no. Is it good?"  
He nodded his head and typed the name into the computer. After a minute he found a site that was most likely illegal and pressed play.  
A musical? I had never really just sat and watched one.

Nezumi tangled us a little tighter. The way his leg pressed against mine was very distracting. Even more so than usual for some reason. I was disappointed there wasn't much of a closer way to be than this unless we stopped paying attention to the movie. I wrapped my ankle around his and placed my chin next to his elbow. Nezumi glanced at me curiously before staring back at the screen.

I tried to pay attention, I really did. It seemed like a great movie and at certain points I would get really caught up in it but then I would suddenly remember the heat coming off the boy next to me and practically sink into him. He was warm and comforting and I wanted him in more ways than one. I wanted to go farther with him. Imagining doing that kind of stuff sent my brain haywire but I was also scared. That was a big step. Did he really like me the same way I liked him? I closed my eyes for a few seconds and pressed closer to him, sticking my nose into his arm that laid beside me.  
"You're awfully close today." Nezumi mentioned abruptly.  
I practically jumped at the words after such a long period of silence between us.  
"Oh, uh-" I moved away quickly and turned my head. "Sorry."  
Did he not like me touching him so much? We had touched each other way more before. He wasn't growing sick of me right?  
"I didn't mean it was a bad thing."  
Nezumi wrapped his arm around me and hugged me close to him. My heart beat sped up at his touch.  
He turned his body slightly and I could tell it wasn't just an accident that his hips were pressing into mine the way they were. Having no space between us but our clothes was nice but didn't do great things to my mind or body. Why was I acting so needy today? I wasn't usually this.. perky. I pressed my face against his shoulder trying to calm down the heat I could feel traveling below.  
This wasn't going to work. If we stayed like this we would only end up going farther. Why was I growing hard just by this?  
As I was just about to back away he tugged me even closer, almost making it uncomfortable, and ground his hips lightly into mine. My hands bunched up in his shirt and my eyes widened.  
Oh yeah, good job Nezumi. That definitely helps me stop thinking about that.

He bent down and brushed his lips across my cheek and to my ear, breathing softly into it before licking and nibbling the edge . My breath hitched as he did so and I clung to him tighter. That was something he had found I liked back during our little lunch breaks together. The memory made me blush harder.  
His hand traveled down my neck and settled in the curve of my waist as he kept kissing me.  
He bit down again on a spot on my neck and I dug my body into him. The way his lips moved across my skin only made me want more. He turned me on my back and ground his hips into me once again. At my groan he suddenly stopped everything and glanced up at me curiously.  
"Are you hard?"  
My face burned brightly.  
"I well-ah!"  
I covered my mouth with my hand to stop my noise as his hand gripped me over my pants. It had been a while since he touched me.  
"Nng, Nezumi" I whimpered below him. He softly moved his hand over my erection. Even though it wasn't direct contact it felt wonderful.  
I rocked my hips involuntarily, needing more.  
"His majesty is quite into it today." Nezumi examined.  
Ignoring his stupid comment I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. As he responded to it I suddenly felt his hands unzip my pants and start to slide them off.  
"Ah-Nezumi that's-."  
"Do you want me to stop?" He asked, stopping his hands and rested them on my hips. I gripped his sleeves tighter and shook my head no. I didn't want him to stop but.. exactly how far did I want it to go?  
At my answer he brought his head lower and in one quick movement slid the rest of my bottom clothing down, kissing my hip bone.  
"Nhg" I moaned out through clenched lips.

I tried not to jerk up into him as he lightly nipped at the sensitive skin there. Did he know the kind of effect he had on me? My body trembled as he moved my legs a little wider and went lower to kiss at the joint my thigh connected.   
I gripped down at the sheets as my body shivered. He totally knew what he was doing to me.  
"Please Nezumi" I whispered, barely audible. He was giving attention everywhere but the one place I needed.  
At that Nezumi lifted his head slightly and softly licked the tip of my cock.  
My body doubled over and my hands found Nezumi's hair as he did so and took the tip into his mouth. My breathing turned ragged as his free hand glided up my leg, teasing the red mark there.  
It was slightly embarrassing having someone do this to me. My face bloomed red but my senses were overflowing with pleasure for more.  
Nezumi brought his mouth down and suddenly I was totally engulfed.  
"Hah, Nezumi" I moaned out.  
He gently bobbed his head, glancing up at me to make sure I was ok.  
It was a lot, almost too much. My legs shook and I tried my hardest not to let instinct take over and close them.  
My hands gripped at his hair tighter as he ran his hands tantalizing slow across my legs. I wasn't going to last much longer if it stayed like this.  
Nezumi suddenly lifted my hips closer to him to get a better angle.  
"Nezumi! That-ngh"  
He moved his head and glided his tongue up the shaft, causing me to jerk up. With a little pop Nezumi lifted his head and met my eyes.  
"Move your hips some. You don't need to hold back. And here," he pushed my torso back so I would lay down again. "That's better."  
As he traveled back down he stopped for a second to lightly rub the perked pink nub on my chest, giving it a light squeeze before letting go.

I choked out a breath just in time to suck it back in as he guided his tongue back over me. Following what he said I didn't hold my hips back as he engulfed me again. Hopefully I wasn't being too rough. I squeezed my eyes shut and let my head tilt back some as the pleasure coursed through my whole body. I felt dizzy and out of control.   
He pushed my legs back down from where I had unintentionally started closing them and his hand found a part of my sensitive red mark again and rubbed it as he suddenly sucked a little harder than before.  
"Ah! Nezumi-"  
Arching my back with the help of Nezumi's hand that guided it up even further I released into his mouth.  
My body fell back down and sunk into the pillows beneath me totally exhausted and sticky with sweat.  
"That wasn't so bad right?" Nezumi teased after a gulp. I opened my glazed eyes and looked up at the face I had learned to know so well. Why did I have to fall in love with such a person? I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down to me with him immediately responding back. He lightly kissed my neck and struggled my shirt the rest of the way off me. It had been bundled up by my arms for a while now.  
"We still have time before your mom comes home right?"  
I raised my eyebrow up at him curiously.  
"Uh huh, she doesn't come back till tomorrow."  
Nezumi brought his nose to mine and looked at me with half lidded eyes.  
"Hopefully that's enough time to do everything I want with you."  
Before I could say anything he crashed his lips back into mine.   
He kissed me deeply, immediately sending my senses flying again and pushed my arms above my head. There he held them tightly by the wrists with a hand as he drifted his other down my stomach, following my red mark.  
It was a messy, passionate kiss. His tongue pressed through the barrier of my lips and skimmed over my own tongue. My moan was muffled through our mouths as he reached his tongue a little further while at the same time, almost without me noticing, slipped his hand lower.  
Suddenly I felt a finger prod at my entrance and broke the kiss with my face heated beyond imaginable.  
"Do you not want to go farther?" Nezumi asked curiously. I could sense the want in his voice as clear as day.  
I shook my head.  
"I do! No, I mean I want to keep going b-but won't it hurt?" I ended the last few words as a whisper. Embarrassed to let him know that was the thing I was really worried about.  
Nezumi let of small mischievous smile form on his lips.  
"I'll try my best not to hurt you. And if it really does I'll stop, ok?"  
I glanced away from him, unable to keep looking in his eyes as I knew we were really going to go further.  
"Ok" I whispered.  
He suddenly got off me and tried to find an exit through our makeshift blanket fort.  
"Where are you going?"  
He turned back quickly, "I just need to get something. It'll only take a second." And with that he slipped out.  
Get something?  
I waited a few seconds as I heard him mumble to himself and rummage through something from outside our fort.  
What was he getting?  
A few more seconds passed before I peaked out my head. I couldn't see him from where I was and ended up coming out of the dark fortress and walking around to the other side of my room where my bed and Nezumi lay on the ground rummaging through the suitcase he brought.  
"Ah here we go."  
He picked up a little tube and turned to me.  
"Found it. Come here."  
I cautiously walked up to him trying to hide my red cheeks as I watched his eyes travel up and down my body. When I was close enough he suddenly picked me up and laid me down on the bed in front of him.  
"What's that for?" I asked suspiciously, looking at the tube.  
"It's to make things easier." He said, squirting some into his hand. "Pull your legs up."  
I obeyed him and pulled them up slightly, showing off parts of me no one had really ever seen.  
"Tell me if anything hurts, ok?"  
I nodded and he kissed me one more time before lightly rubbing the area around my entrance. It was somewhat uncomfortable and caused me to squeeze my eyes shut.  
After a minute or so it starting feeling better. Why wasn't he going any farther? I gulped and glanced up at him just in time to feel his first finger enter. My eyes widened at the sudden action. It felt weird but at the same time.. good. His other hand rubbed my inner thigh and I closed my eyes once again.  
He moved his finger in slight movements. Getting me used to it before speeding up slightly.  
"Feels weird." I whimpered quietly. I was glad it didn't hurt but it still wasn't totally pleasurable.  
"It'll get better." Nezumi reassured. He leaned back up and kissed my chest before inserting a second finger.  
"Mhg, feels even weirder."  
The gray eyed boy reached up with his hand and lifted my chin into a deep kiss, holding nothing back.  
"You know, you're quite adorable."  
I mumbled out a response and wrapped my arms around him. The whole time he still touched me down there but the weird sensation was dulled by his movements with his mouth. He lightly bit my lip and lowered his head to my neck, sucking hard enough to make me whimper.  
"Mm- Nezumi"  
I grabbed at his shirt and pulled it up some till he did the rest and threw it to the side.  
"Tell me of this hurts." He breathed out heavily, suddenly twisting his fingers from inside me and going deeper than before.  
"What?-Ah!" My eyes closed and my mind went blank as a shock traveled through my body.  
"Found it." Nezumi whispered, hitting that spot again a little harder. The movement of his fingers made me cry out softly and struggle against his hand.   
What was he hitting? I hadn't known there was anything like that that caused that much pleasure.  
He guided his free hand to my back and pulled me closer, pressing our midriffs together. I nudged my head into his neck and squeezed my hands against his back. When had the room gotten so hot? My whole body felt clammy and slightly sweaty.  
Nezumi abruptly pulled his fingers out and grabbed the small bottle again, undoing his pants at the same time. I was surprised to find a desire forming from where his fingers had left.   
I looked back up at my lover as he slipped out of his pants and squirted even more of that liquidy substance in his palm.  
"I'll go slow"   
He positioned his member at my entrance, rubbing it to tease me as his mouth found my inner thigh again and kissed up it.  
"Nezumi" I whined.  
I rocked my hips, seeking for some kind of friction. The boy followed with coming back up to hover over me and kissing my collarbone as his hand found the pink nub on my chest again. I had almost forgotten how much I liked that, but he certainly hadn't. He lightly squeezed and I groaned into his grasp. All I could think was that I just wanted more.   
He gave me a quick lingering kiss then shifted forward, bringing the tip of his dick in. Wincing, I dug my nails into his back. It did hurt some, and was certainly bigger than two fingers but there was also a feeling I hadn't experienced before hidden within.  
I looked up to see Nezumi with his face scrunched in pain? Pleasure? He moved a little deeper which caused me to look away again as my body trembled at the unfamiliar feeling.  
"You're tight." Nezumi grimaced. "Relax some"  
I tried following his command and unclenched my body.  
"There you go" Nezumi breathed out. I opened my eyes again halfway and looked back up at him to find his eyes already meeting mine. His bangs hung down in messy knots and his face was blushed pink. Besides the unkempt look he was still beautiful.  
Nezumi pushed my hair off my forehead with his hand and smiled down at me.  
"I love you Shion"  
The words hit me like a brick and my heart clenched. I could feel little tears try to escape my eyes. Why was I so emotional over that? I had already known it.  
"I love you too" I choked out, trying to smile back. Nezumi let out a little chuckle and brought his still smiling lips close to mine.  
"I'm going to go all the way in ok?"  
I nodded my head and felt him move forward slowly. It hurt. The tears that had been gathering in my eyes escaped as my lids squeezed shut. I felt completely full and overwhelmed.   
Nezumi lowered his head by my ear and breathed heavily into my neck. He waited till I had relaxed again till he slowly pulled back a few inches shakily. The feeling had started getting better as time passed and I tangled my hands in his hair. He was holding back. Quite a lot. I could feel it through his shaky movements and jerky little motions. I felt bad for him having to do that for me. At least he seemed like he enjoyed it. I pulled out his ponytail and ran my fingers through his hair, then to his neck and up and down his sides with light touches of my nails. He suddenly faltered and almost fell on top of me as I did so. Was he ok? My hands froze and I looked up at him.  
"Mhg, keep doing that." He pleaded. I was slightly surprised to find him ask like that. But there was no way I could say no. I continued brushing along his skin with my fingertips as he trembled slightly. There was an amazing blush on his face and my heart skipped as I saw it. I didn't usually see him this way. Abruptly he thrusted forward again, sinking back into me.  
"Ah- Nezumi" I winced.  
"Sorry" he breathed out raggedly.  
He moved slowly again, keeping his head tucked in the corner of my neck and holding my legs to keep them up.  
It felt good. Really good. I stopped my hands and grabbed around him as his speed increased. He suddenly moved in a different angle and hit the spot only his fingers had before.  
"Ahh! Nezumi-that-ah!"  
I covered my mouth with my clammy hands to stop my noises but Nezumi quickly moved them away and locked them above my head.  
"I want to hear you." He said.  
My eyes widened for a second to only squeeze back shut as he thrusted forward again.  
"Ah!"  
Nezumi himself scrunched his face back up as I tightened around him but kept going, hitting that place each time and with more force than the last. It drew out more embarrassing noises from me that wouldn't stay down no matter what I did. I let my head fall down against the mattress and succumbed to him. All my nerves felt like they were being hit at once.  
The gray eyed boy grasped my member again and pleased me in two spots at once. It was too much. I felt like I would explode if he did anymore.  
"Ne-! Hah, Nezumi!" My back arched erotically into him as I finally released. At the same time I felt his body shake and a weird sensation fill me before his body collapsed onto my chest. We both breathed heavily and listened to each others erratic heartbeat.  
After a minute or two had passed Nezumi let out a breathy laugh.  
"So you are a screamer."  
I would of slapped him if I had any energy left but ended up just giving him a dirty look and sinking my head back into the mattress.   
So that's what it meant.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING- sorry

"How was your honeymoon weekend?" Safu teased. We sat on the bus next to each other. The first glimpses of sun were shining through the side window casting a warm glow on my face, only brightening my blush.  
"I-it was good." I stuttered.   
Oh had it been good. The memory of two nights ago resurfaced again. Sure the physical stuff had been great but the emotional was just as wonderful. I felt like I really understood him now. There weren't any awkward silences that felt they needed to be filled or not knowing how to say something to the other. I felt really connected to him.   
After we did it we had laid in bed pretty much the rest of the day, only getting up to get food and go to the bathroom a few times. Once my mom had gotten home the next morning we had lunch with the three of us before he had gone home. The memory of him quickly sneaking a kiss to me as he headed out the door made my heart clench. He was so wonderful, how had I ended up with him?  
Besides that I could tell my mom was suspicious of something going on between us. The curious look she gave us once she got there wasn't the usual.

"Just good?" Safu asked, bringing me back to reality.  
I turned to her, finally meeting her eyes. "Ok it was really good. Better?"  
She smiled at me and leaned in close.  
"So did you learn what a screamer is?"  
My face burned.  
"Y-yes." I whispered, barely audible.  
At my words she backed away with a new gleam in her eyes, but one I had seen before.  
"Tell me. How'd it start? Was Nezumi really dominant? Did you guys do it on-"  
"Shh!" I gave her a worried look. "I don't want anyone to hear"  
Safu glanced around cautiously for anyone glancing at us weirdly.  
"Ok fine. But I'm calling you later."  
I wasn't sure if I should be glad or extremely dreading that call.

First hour came. I was surprised to find Nezumi sitting in his seat when I walked in. Did he get up early to go to school? Why? I looked around and only saw a few other people so I pulled up a chair next to him and sat across his desk.  
"Hey Shion" he greeted with a smile, watching me sit down.  
"Hey" I said back. "You're here early."  
Nezumi shifted on his seat and leaned a little closer, linking his ankle with mine from under the table.  
"Maybe I just wanted to see you again."  
I blushed at his comment and looked down at the desk. I was glad there were so few people in here and they weren't paying attention to us.   
Suddenly the bell rang. With the look he gave me I could tell he wanted me to stay but I untangled my leg from him and returned to my seat. Why was he so perfect? I flopped into my seat up front and stared at the whiteboard.   
A sudden thought came to me. We hadn't been on a date yet. Everything felt so out of order right then. We had had sex already but why hadn't we gone on an official date? Would Nezumi even like a date? I glanced back at him. His gray eyes were fixated on the clock. Should I ask him on one?  
I turned back around as the teacher started saying something. Where would we even go? Movies? That was kind of lame but would he like it?  
My head fell into my palm and I silently fixed my pencil so it was straight again. I was so dumb. How had I not asked him on a date yet? Maybe Safu would have some ideas.  
"Shion!" A voice above me mocked.  
I looked up to find the teacher.  
"Did you hear my question?" He asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.  
"Oh-uh sorry, can you repeat it?"  
The class snickered behind me. This was another example of how I had chosen the worst seat possible.

 

"Come closer." Nezumi beckoned. I sat across from him on the cold ground. The cat walk certainly wasn't the comfiest spot to sit. I scooted forward and took the last bite of my sandwich. Below us people were performing their lines.  
"Closer." Nezumi smiled.  
Closer? Our knees were already touching. What did he want me to do?  
Nezumi reached out his hand and set my lunch tray to the side. He grabbed my by the waist and helped lift me up a few inches and into his lap.  
"That's better."  
I clenched my hands in my lap and blushed. Despite us having already done a lot more he still made me embarrassed when he did things like this. A cool finger lifted my chin and made me look at him again.  
"You'll stay with me right?"  
His gray eyes looked soft as he spoke.  
"Of course! Why would I leave you?"  
He wrapped his arms around me with a smile as he heard my words. Why on earth would I ever leave him? He settled his head into my neck and clung to me tightly.  
"Just making sure." He said.  
My hands found his back and gripped his shirt there. We stayed like that for a minute or two, enjoying each others comfort.   
I lifted his head and looked into his eyes with a little smile, bringing my lips as softly as possible to his.   
Nezumi suddenly changed as my lips moved across his and squeezed me closer, kissing me harshly. His cold hand slipped under my shirt and traced the marks there.  
What was he doing? His mouth left mine and returned to a spot on my collar as his hand moved my shirt a little away. There he lightly kissed while his hand drifted up and down the scars on my back. It felt wonderful, I shivered into the feeling. He had found the exact spots on my body that sent me crazy and would never leave them alone again.  
I pressed into his torso and locked myself against him as his touches mesmerized me. Abruptly his hand slid beneath the back of the hem of my pants.  
"Hah wait, Nezumi! We're at school!" I tensed up.  
His hand slid a little lower and he looked me in the eyes.  
"Don't worry. I won't do much. Just keep quiet ok? There's people below us."  
He smiled slyly at me before lightly squeezing.  
"Mmhh." In defeat my head sunk into his shirt to hide my noise. This was bad. How was I supposed to keep quiet? And we are at school too!  
He kissed my cheek and over to my ear, making me shudder into his shoulder. My body had already heated up from his touches.  
"You're quite sensitive." Nezumi teased into my ear. I only responded with tightening my grip on his shirt and sinking farther into him.

His hand traveled around to the front of me before undoing my zipper and wrapping his slender fingers around my already semi-hard member. My voice cracked out a little gasp and I trembled under his finger tips. What on earth was he trying to so with me at school? Though I didn't want him to stop.  
I pushed up into his hand slightly. Why was he suddenly staying so still?  
"Nezumi." I begged, searching for more friction.  
"Do you want me to?"  
Did I?  
I pushed up against him again with a little whine. With a smile he finally moved his hand. I clung to his shoulders and tried to focus on not making to much noise as he did so. Did he know how hard that was?  
My breath hitched as he teased the tip and bit lightly on my ear. He had unbuttoned a few buttons on my shirt and it was now sliding down my shoulders with his help.  
"Ngh, Nezumi- I can't.."  
I was almost at my limit. My mind was swimming and blurry.  
"Shion." He whispered.  
He clasped his mouth over mine, muffling me.  
My hands clenched his shirt and I searched desperately for more of him.  
"Ah!-" at my quick gasp of air Nezumi roughly pushed his mouth back to me suddenly moved his other hand to my backside.  
"Wait, Nezumi! Not at..ngh..same time."  
Despite my whispered plea he rubbed my entrance and silently inserted a finger.  
"Nngh."  
My body felt wobbly. It was hard enough just to keep my torso upright. I leaned on the boy for support.  
Soon he slipped in a second finger.  
"You're looser than before. You haven't been playing with yourself have you?"  
My eyes widened.  
"Of course not! I-I haven't done anything!"  
He paused and leaned till our noses touched.  
"Don't let anyone else ever touch you like this." Nezumi said, suddenly taking a more serious expression.  
I shifted forward and brought my lips to his.  
"I won't."  
I felt him smile and suddenly lay me back. He climbed over top of me and positioned his hands back to where they had been.  
"Good" he whispered, and inserted his fingers again. The angle was much better than me sitting on his lap.  
I clamped my hand over my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut. Suddenly he changed positions again and pushed his fingers upward more, right into that spot I loved.  
"Ahh!- mmhg- ha, Nez-"  
"Shh"  
He pressed into it again one last time before I lost it. I let my body sink into the cold floor and breathed out heavily.  
"Well you were at least a little quieter than last time."  
I gave him a pointed look and sat up some.  
"It's your fault."  
He smiled at my grimace and zipped up my pants.  
"Sorry" he beamed.  
He was totally not sorry.

A few more days passed. Me and Nezumi had made an agreement not to do anything like that at school anymore.  
Once that lunch had ended we had to sneak out a different door because the main one was blocked by a student describing to a staff member that they had heard something from above the stage while they were practicing. They had described it as 'a woman's ghost' of course now there was endless teasing from Nezumi about that.

I still hadn't forgotten about the date I needed to plan. Over the last few days I had been thinking about it nonstop. I even ended up asking Safu for ideas. Of course she was no help unless I wanted my date with Nezumi to be extremely sexy.

Thursday came and I walked through the hall to my math class. In the corner of my eye I saw a poster and stopped. It was for the school play me and Nezumi had been listening to for the last few months. Romeo and Juliet. They would preform next Friday in the auditorium. A smile formed on my lips as I read the sign. That was perfect. I jotted down the information and walked back towards class. Nezumi would love that. My heart sped up with excitement. I had finally found the perfect date. Now I just needed to ask.

Friday morning I walked into class. Nezumi wasn't here yet? He had been getting here early for the last few weeks.  
I walked to my seat and sat down. Half the students were already here. Was he just late? I had been hoping to ask him on that date today.  
I pulled out my homework for class and checked it over till the bell rang meaning the first hour was starting.  
Looking behind me I found the seat was still empty. Students bickered around me not noticing we were missing someone. Could he be sick?  
The teacher went to the front of the room.

"Goodmorning everyone! Well it's finally Friday. Don't forget you have a test next Tuesday. Make sure you bring your books home."  
My heart sunk even more at the mention of the test. Could this day get any worse?

Gym came and went. All we did was learn stretches and run. It was extra hard without Nezumi beside me to cheer me on.

Finally lunch came and I searched for Safu I'm the cafeteria. Sitting down she turned to me surprised.  
"Shion? What are you doing here? Where's Nezumi?"  
I picked up my spoon and attacked my soup.  
"He's not here today."  
Safu gave me a pitiful look.  
"Well he'll probably be here Monday. I'm glad you're sitting with me though. I don't think I could of survived another day sitting with those other girls."  
I gave her a small smile and took a sip of milk.  
"Yeah."

The weekend passed. It felt even more boring than usual. Safu came over once to talk and hang out but besides that I stayed in my quiet room. Without Nezumi it felt like everything had gone exactly back to how it was before he had come into my life. I fell into the same routine without having to wonder when Nezumi would get here or what we would be doing the next day. It was lonely. Almost even more so than before.

Monday finally arrived and I walked into class expecting to see the boy only to be greeted with another empty seat.   
He wasn't there. Why wasn't he there? Was he really sick? I thought of maybe going to check on him at his house but quickly remembered I had never even figured out where he lived. He had said he lived with his uncle near Polland park but that wasn't much to go off of.   
I would just have to wait.

As days went by I got more and more worried. Surely he would have said something to me right? He wasn't the kind to just not tell me where or what was going on with him. Safu tried to cheer me up with things like "he might just be sick with the flu. It's going around right now." And "Maybe he has family stuff to attend to." But nothing really worked. Where was he?

Friday. The play I had been wanting to take Nezumi to was later that day. He still hadn't come to school. I had started getting really worried. Yesterday I had walked around a little bit by Polland park, looking at houses and hoping I might catch a glance of the gray eyed boy but nothing. My mom was going to the city again this weekend and I had been excited for him to stay with me again. But now I wasn't sure if that was happening. Where could he have gone? Did he really just have a bad sickness right now? Though I felt like he would of contacted me somehow. I had the feeling that something bad had happened within me but tried to keep it down. He was Nezumi. Nothing could happen to him.

I walked to my last class of the day when someone bumped harshly into me, spilling my books onto the floor.  
"Oh Shion, where's your boyfriend." A guy teased. He walked passed me with his friends and left me to pick up my stuff. My eyes felt like tears would spill out any second if another thing happened.   
When had I gotten so attached to the boy? I picked my books up and rushed quickly to class trying to force my eyes to stay dry.   
I couldn't cry. Especially at school. Maybe I was thinking too much about it. Even I had missed a week of school before when I was sick. It wasn't a super uncommon thing.

The end of the day came too slowly. Everything seemed dragged now. Classes seemed extra long. I walked down the hall heading for the front door when I passed the office when an idea came to me. They would know something about Nezumi right? I couldn't imagine his uncle wouldn't call to tell the school he was sick.  
I opened the door slightly embarrassed and walked to the front desk.  
"How may I help you?" A lady asked.  
I scratched my head and tried to figure out how to ask what I wanted.  
"I was wondering if you could give me some information on my friend. He's been gone for a while and I haven't heard from him."  
The lady let the corners of her smile dip down.  
"Sorry I'm not allowed to give information about students to people."  
"Please. He's my friend. Can you just check to see if his guardian has called or anything?" I was becoming desperate. I needed to know at least something. I needed at least a little bit of hope of when I would see him again.  
The lady scrunched her brow and let out a sigh of defeat.  
"What's his name."  
My heart lifted.  
"Nezumi."  
She typed on her computer and scrolled. It was aggravating not being able to see what she was reading.  
Suddenly her face became a little more furrowed.  
"I'm sorry. He moved just last week. Seems like it was quite sudden. We only got a call the day before."  
Everything seemed to suddenly freeze. The words coming from her mouth didn't seem to compute.  
Nezumi.. Moved?


	17. Chapter 17

Nezumi.. Moved?  
Nothing seemed to make sense.  
How could he have moved? No, it had to be wrong. He would of told me at least something.  
I clutched my book bag straps and leaned in towards the lady.  
"I-I'm sorry, can you check one more time?"  
She gave me a tired look and glanced back at her computer screen.  
"His uncle called last week about it. He moved."  
I felt like I was hanging above a bottomless pit by one finger. One movement and I would fall.  
No. Nezumi couldn't of moved. Why would he?  
"D-do you know where?"  
I tried to keep the helpless feeling I had out of my voice. I needed to stay calm right now. It was all just a misunderstanding.  
"Sorry, it doesn't say. Most of our info about him is gone now"  
I tried to gulp down the lump in my throat. I couldn't accept this. But I wouldn't get any more information out of her.  
I mumbled a quiet thank you as I walked out the door in a trance.  
He wouldn't have. Nezumi wouldn't move without telling me.  
I closed my eyes tight and tried to will my pounding headache away. I could feel tears dangerously close to spilling.

I walked out of the school building and saw my bus pulling away, though my brain didn't even seem to register it.  
I felt lonely.

My feet guided me home. My head was swimming and I tried everything I could to keep my tears down. I couldn't cause a scene on the sidewalk.  
An empty feeling slowly spread through me. I needed something. I needed someone. I needed Nezumi.  
As I opened my front door I realized how glad I was my mom wouldn't be home for awhile as I sunk to the floor as soon as the door clicked shut

He couldn't of.  
He wouldn't.  
I wrapped my arms around myself tightly and squeezed, trying to keep myself together.  
No.  
He was just sick.  
I would see him tomorrow.  
There was nothing to worry about.  
It was all a lie.  
He wouldn't just move.  
Why would he do that to me?  
Why would he-  
I choked out a quiet sob and sunk further into myself.  
It was a lie.  
The tears didn't seem to want to stop.  
I needed him.  
How could I go on without him?  
When had he become so important to me?  
I felt useless. Unimportant. Like half of me had been cut off.  
"Please Nezumi." I whispered through my tears "it's not true."  
My breath caught and I shook into my arms.  
He couldn't just be gone.

 

"Shion, I'll be right there ok?" Safu told me through the phone.  
I had stayed in my bed all morning. It had only been 24 hours since I had found out Nezumi moved. It still didn't seem real to me.  
I mumbled an ok through the phone and swung my legs over my bed, standing up. My body felt so weak.  
I wandered over to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face in an attempt to make my eyes less puffy. Truthfully I felt like such a baby for crying so much. It had gone on for a good portion of the night and most of the morning. Good thing we didn't have school on Saturdays.  
I ran my fingers through my hair to flatten my bed head and soon wandered back to my room in defeat.

It wasn't long after till my bedroom door opened and Safu rushed in. I hadn't told her what had happened till a few minutes ago. Of course she had come running to me.  
She threw her arms around me in a tight hug before even saying a word. I felt so glad to have someone here with me. I hadn't been able to talk to anyone since I found out since my mom had gone to work in the city this weekend.  
I returned the hug gratefully and wrapped my arms tightly around her.  
Safu was still here.  
Nezumi leaving wasn't the end of the world.  
I buried my head into her shoulder and tried not to get her shirt too wet as my eyes watered again.  
"I'm so sorry Shion." She whispered in my ear.  
We let go of each other and sat silent for a few seconds.  
Safu reached out and lifted my chin to look at her. Her face became even more concerned as she saw mine. I was a mess. I knew that.  
"He wouldn't just leave you Shion."  
I looked back away as she tried to comfort me.  
"He did." I mumbled.  
Safu let out a quiet sigh and looked down towards my bedspread.  
"He wouldn't. I didn't know Nezumi that well but he wouldn't do that to you. At least not without saying something."  
A little spark of annoyance caught in me.  
"Then what happened, Safu!? He's not here. And he didn't say anything." My voice grew weaker as I spoke. "Maybe he never really cared about me."  
As I said it I knew it wasn't true. Nezumi did care about me but I didn't understand why he wouldn't say anything about him moving. He would of known it would hurt me, and Nezumi had always made sure I was more than okay.  
"Shion, he cares about you. I saw how he acted around you. It wasn't fake."  
Safu grabbed my hand trying to get me to listen.  
"He'll come back. He wouldn't be able to leave you forever. You just need to wait."  
I looked back up at her.  
Wait for him?  
Would he really come back?  
The feeling of abandonment was still there but the words Safu had said helped.  
"Fine. I'll wait."

 

Waiting. It was way harder than I thought it would be. For the first month afterwards I would look hopefully at where he used to sit as I walked into class. But each time I would only get my hopes crushed even more. Finally I refused to look at the desk.

My mom noticed a big change in me as well as the students at school. I felt weak, and the students who saw that took it as a chance to bully me. Safu tried to help. My mom tried to help. But they couldn't stop the endless nagging.  
Their taunts repeated in my head millions of times.  
I tried my best to ignore it but it was breaking me down more and more.  
"Your so useless Shion."  
A boy pushed me harshly into the brick wall right outside the school.  
"Now that your boyfriend's gone you've got nothing protecting you."  
I stared at the ground trying to block him out.  
Suddenly a fist grabbed my hair and yanked up.  
"Hey are you listening to me!"  
I gritted my teeth and pushed the hands away.  
"I'm going home."  
The boy glared at me as I passed, bumping into my shoulder as I walked away.  
"You sicken me."  
The truth was, I sickened myself too.

 

The dreams were the worst. They came almost every night and they were always about my gray eyed boy.   
In them we would be together. Usually it was set back in the morning when he would be in my bed, he would be holding me or breathing softly into my ear, sometimes still asleep. It was comforting. It went back to the days where everything was perfect. Nezumi was beside me.   
But the ending was always the same. I would realize something was wrong. Nezumi would suddenly start slipping out of my grasp and everything would slowly turn dark. When I woke up he was gone and I was left feeling cold. Most nights I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and have to bury my head into the pillow as the sun came up.

2 months later my mom finally broke and took me to a therapist as soon as she saw the cuts on my arm.  
I thought maybe doing that to myself would help. Get my mind off current things. But it never did and all I was left with was a few more scars.  
But the therapist seemed nice. I was kinda glad when Wednesday came and I'd be able to see her again.  
She talked to me. We tried not to mention Nezumi. But she grew to be a good friend I felt I could talk to.

As days went on things slowly became better. My first year of high school ended and summer came. Things changed. We moved to a new house about ten minutes away from our old one. It was nice, bigger and closer to school. I didn't like how Safu was farther away but we still ended up spending a lot of time together. Then we finally got a dog. After years of begging my mom had finally said yes. Things were beginning to get better. I felt happier. But I never could forget Nezumi. Whatever I was doing he'd always be in the corner of my mind, trying to fill my head. I didn't dare think of him till the moon was high in the sky. There I could let the silent tears slip out and whisper to myself without anyone hearing.  
"I'm waiting for you Nezumi."


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little later than I was planning. I got really sick and have pretty much just been sleeping for the past 3 days straight and catching up on school work. But hope you like it!~

"Safu, wait for me!" I yelled towards the girl ahead of me. She turned around briefly and watched me as I hurried to her.  
"I know you're excited but jeez, don't walk so fast." I said, slightly out of breath.  
She smiled up at me as I caught up to her. I had grown a few inches over the past couple of years and I was finally taller than her. I was more than proud about it.  
"It's our high school graduation gowns, how are you not excited? Now come on."  
She grabbed the sleeve of my sweater and pulled me down the hallway and towards the room our gowns were being sold. We were finally in our last year of high school. We had one more week of school till the graduation ceremony. After that we would both be going to the same college.

I was so glad I had Safu. She had helped me and been there my whole life. She had pulled me through the rough few years high school. Back when I had been left by the most important person in my life. The memories still brought pain but after so many years in a deep depression this year I had finally started coming out of it. Summer was always way better for me than school where I was constantly reminded, but I felt like this year I had turned over a new stone. Sure I would never forget.. that boy, but the memories were slowly fading into the back of my mind.  
"Come on, you're so slow" Safu teased.  
I made longer strides and tried to keep up.  
"I'm sorry!" I defensively said, "You're legs ae like giraffes!"  
Safu giggled.  
"That doesn't really make sense."  
I gave her a sour look and we hurried over to the line for our graduation gowns.

 

"So are you excited?"  
Safu sat on my bed and leaned towards my form sitting beside her. I looked up from my book.  
"For what?"  
"For finishing high school. It's the start as our life as adults."  
I flipped an old crinkled page and glanced up at her.  
"Yeah. I guess."  
She hummed a response back and looked at her homework. We stayed silent for a few seconds.  
"What do you plan to do for the future?" She asked quietly.  
The future? I hadn't given it much thought. I had been more worried about the present lately.  
What would I do?  
"Well I'm going to college.-"  
"But after that."  
After?  
I stared at the book in my hands blankly.  
"I don't know. Get a job I guess. What any usual person in society does."  
Safu leaned back on her hands.  
"Do you think you'll end up getting married?  
Married. The words seemed to bring back bad feelings of emptiness.  
Did I want to get married? Who would I even get married to? I hadn't had any kind of crush or attraction to anyone after..  
But getting married to someone was a good thing. I wanted to start a family with someone but I couldn't imagine doing that with anyone but...  
I shook my head and tried to will the sadness away. It had been 2 months since I had cried about him, I wasn't going to start again now.  
"I might. It depends." I told her.  
She nodded her head, finally breaking her gaze from my faze and staring at the ceiling.  
"I'm going to. Maybe have a kid or two. It all sounds so fun."  
She had the little gleam in her eye that was always there when she was excited. Safu seemed like she would make a great mom. She was pretty good with kids and loved teaching.  
I smiled at her.  
"You'll be great."  
She glanced back at me and returned my smile.  
"Well I have to go. My mom wanted me home for dinner."  
She gathered her stuff and stood up.  
"Ok see ya tomorrow." I waved and brought my eyes back to my book  
She walked to the door and suddenly stopped in the doorway, making me glance up.  
"What's wrong?" I asked her.  
She looked at me, a new sudden sadness in her eyes.  
"Are you still waiting for him?" She asked quietly.  
I furrowed my brow in confusion.  
Waiting for-?  
Oh.  
I set my eyes back on the pages of my book, not able to meet her gaze.  
"I'll always be waiting." I whispered.  
Her form stayed still in the doorway for a few more seconds, staring at me.  
"Good."  
And with that she walked away.

 

After Safu left her words still haunted me. I was waiting. But for how much longer? Besides I didn't even know for sure if he would come back. He had just disappeared without a word. Was I just giving myself false hope?  
My chest tightened at the thought.  
No, he was coming back for me. Though there was no way I could know for sure.  
I laid back on my bed and heard the front door of the house open. My mom had just gotten home from work. She had been working at her bakery a lot later than usual. It got kind of lonely nowadays since the house was empty more often.  
"Shion, I'm home!" My mom yelled out.  
"I'm upstairs!" I replied loudly.  
It was so much harder to hear each other in this house. It was much bigger than our old one and the walls seemed thicker.  
I got up from my bed and turned off the light. I needed a little nap. With high school ending soon everything had become pretty stressful. Along with all the questions that had made a sudden appearance in my mind. And sadly they were all about my gray eyed boy. I thought I had gotten through everything but I guess I never really did.  
I shook the thoughts away and climbed into bed pulling my covers over me.

 

The next morning I woke up 5 min till my bus would get here to pick me up. I squinted at the alarm clock hoping I was seeing things.  
Crap.  
I jumped up and searched frantically for some pants to wear and tried patting down my bed head. A few minutes later I grabbed an apple I rushed out of the door with my backpack thumping against my back. The bus was just screeching to a halt at the end of my driveway. I sprinted to it and climbed the stairs where a wall of chatter instantly hit me. The bus was really full today.  
I looked for somewhere to sit and settled next to a young girl carrying a poster board. Since I had moved I wasn't on the bus with Safu anymore. Now my bus ride I sat quiet as the people yelled around me. There weren't even any people in my year on the bus which made me feel even more out of place.  
I held my book bag tightly against my chest as if it was my first day of school again. For some reason I felt jumpy today. Maybe it was because I had only woken up five minutes ago.  
I yawned into my arm and blocked out the people around me.

 

"Someone was asking about you yesterday."  
I looked up from my math worksheet and caught Safu's eyes.  
"Huh? Who?"  
She twirled her pencil and lightly bit the end.  
"I don't really know them. They moved into your old house across the street from me just a few days ago. They said they had found something of yours in the house and were wondering if I knew you."  
My eyebrows furrowed. I left something? What was it? I was missing my winter coat after I moved but there wasn't a way they would know it was mine. Had I left something more personal?  
"What did they find?"  
"They didn't tell me. I didn't have time to ask because I had to hurry to the dentists. But they asked if they could give it to me today to give to you or if you wanted to come over and get it from them."  
I thought about the options. Should I just come get whatever it was? I trusted Safu but what if it was something really personal?  
"I'll just come over. It's not much of a walk and I wanted to study for the math exam with you if I could."  
Safu smiled at me from across the desk.  
"Yeah! Just come over after school sometime."  
I grinned back and tried to hide my nervousness.  
"Ok."

Later that day I wrote a quick note for my mom in case she got back before I did and hopped on my bike. It was only a ten minute bike ride to Safu's, though my heavy backpack slowed me down.  
What could I have left? It had been bugging me all day. I couldn't remember leaving anything but it must have been important enough that the new house owners didn't just throw it away. It made me nervous for some reason.  
My feet pedaled slightly faster at my uneasiness. I hadn't been back at that house since my first year of high school. I hadn't even really looked at it because I was afraid it would reawaken old memories.  
I squeezed the handles of my bike, almost able to feel the old scars along my arms burn.  
Before I knew it I was turning down the familiar street. My eyes turned to the truck that sat in the driveway of my old home and the boxes sitting by the door. What type of people had moved in?  
I parked my bike by the mailbox and walked up the driveway with a strong nostalgic feeling. I had left so many memories here, good and bad ones.  
I found my heart speeding as I stood in front of the door and knocked. From inside I heard footsteps and suddenly the door was swung open and a cool gust of air hit me.  
A women stood there. She had blonde hair and was very pregnant. She gave me an immediate smile as she saw my face.  
"Oh hi." She said curiously.  
I stumbled to find the words as I realized I was being silent.  
"Oh uh I heard you found something of mine."  
Her head tilted slightly and her brow furrowed.  
"Oh!" She said, "are you Shion?"  
I nodded my head, realizing I stupidly hadn't told her my name.  
"Come in, come in. I'll go get it. It's just in the kitchen."  
She opened the door a little wider and let me step in.  
"Thanks."  
As soon as I had entered my old home she headed down the hallway and turned into the kitchen.  
Looking around me I felt a tinge of sadness. I kinda missed this house. I had lived almost my whole life here, but it wasn't the same now. The picture frames of me as a child weren't on the wall anymore and even the air just felt... Different.

The woman's form turned back into the hallway and walked towards me with something in her hand.  
"Here, it was in the mailbox when we moved here. We didn't open it. I'm glad we were able to find you though."  
Her thin fingers held a letter out towards me.  
A.. Letter?  
"Thanks." I said slightly cautiously.  
I took the letter from her and turned it so I could read the front.  
'To Shion.'  
The letters looked familiar.  
My eyes turned to the corner to see where it was sent from.  
It was a whole country over!  
Did I know anyone there?  
Still standing in the doorframe I flipped the paper over and froze as I saw another familiar name on small letters saying who it was from.  
My eyes immediately widened.  
It couldn't be.  
"Are you okay?" The woman asked worriedly from in front of me. My eyes found her again and I felt my emotions surge. Before I knew it I was hugging the stranger, trying not to cry.  
"Oh! Uh,-"  
"Thank you so much." I whispered.  
Her body unstiffened and she gently laid her hand on my back.  
"Um, your welcome."  
I let her go after a few seconds realizing this was probably a pretty awkward situation for her. She had no idea who I was and why I was so grateful to her.  
"I'm glad I could get that letter to you." She smiled wonderfully at me.  
I smiled back and tried to wipe the tears from my face. My hands shook slightly as I held the paper tightly.  
"Yes. Thanks again"  
She opened the door and I wandered out. I felt kinda bad for her having to see me like this. She waved at me as I went down the driveway and closed the door still grinning at me.  
I wanted to rip open the letter right then. How long had it been sitting in the mail box?  
I walked over to the side of Safu's house. There was no way I could go inside right now and see her. My heart beat thumped wildly in my chest.  
I leaned against the wall of her house and started opening the letter with trembling fingers. What would it say?  
My hands stopped as I started to worry.  
Would he say he would never be able to see me again?  
I shook my head and opened the paper, unfolding the slightly old letter. His hand writing itself made me feel giddy and I started to read.

'Dear Shion,  
I'm so sorry for leaving. I feel sick just thinking that I probably hurt you. My uncle decided to move because he got into trouble with some guys. The day I found out was the day we left. I tried to get to you before hand but it didn't work out. But I'll come back. I promise. Though it might take a while. I will have to raise enough money to get on a plane and fly over. Again I'm so sorry, I hope you understand. There's so much more I want to say but I don't know how to write it. Just please wait for me Shion. I love you.'

My eyes became blurry with tears as I read, enough where I had to wipe them away before being able to keep reading.  
My hand held the letter tightly as I finished, crinkly the sides.  
He was coming back.  
The emotions and feelings I had kept hidden away for 3 years suddenly burst.  
I choked back a sob and tried to keep standing on my wobbling knees, rereading the paper over and over.  
My waiting wasn't for nothing.  
Nezumi would come back to me.


	19. Chapter 19

He was coming back. It was all I could think about.  
After standing up from the spot I had been crouched at for a while I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself and headed inside Safu's house. She was probably wondering where I was.  
I wiped my eyes before walking into her room. Though there was no way I could hide my tear streaked face.  
Safu sat on her bed with the math book in her lap.  
"Oh good you're here. I was just about-" she paused as she looked up at me standing in her doorway. My eyes were probably puffy and there was no doubt I had a slightly crazed smile on my face.  
"Are you ok?" She asked, worried.  
I took the letter out if my pocket and handed it to her. There was no way I would be able to speak right now unless I wanted to burst into tears again.  
She glanced at me curiously before taking it.  
She opened the paper cautiously and I watched her face as she read it. Her face contorted and her eyes widened. She looked up at me as she finished, finally understanding. Not saying anything she stood up and wrapped her arms around me.  
I felt so relieved. I squeezed her back and we stood like that for a long time before finally letting go. Her eyes showed everything she could of said. How she was so happy for me, how she understood how I felt.  
I squeezed her hand and wiped my eyes away with the other.  
Suddenly a voice came from downstairs, scaring us both.  
"Safu, dinner's ready!"  
We jumped at her moms voice.  
"O-" Safu cleared her voice before continuing. "Ok, we'll be down in a sec!"  
Safu looked back at me and squeezed my hand again before we headed downstairs.

 

The sun was already starting to go down as I hopped on my bike to head home. Me and Safu hadn't done any studying. After dinner we had gone back upstairs and talked for a little while about Nezumi. I had been thrilled about the letter till Safu brought up the question of how old it was. Doubts haunted the thing I wished so badly for. I hadn't sent anything back because I hadn't seen the letter till just now. Did he think I didn't care about him? Was he worried? Would he even come back now? I gripped my handlebars tightly in annoyance. If only I hadn't moved. What if he had already come back but couldn't find me? I felt like I was on an emotional roller coaster.  
My tires crunched the gravel as I biked down the road, smoothing as I went up my driveway. My moms car sat there. She had probably gotten back a while ago. After parking my bike I opened the door and got wafted by the warm smell of home on my numb face.  
"Shion?"  
The voice came from the kitchen.  
"Hey, I'm home." I replied, trying to sound as normal as possible. For some reason I didn't want to tell my mom. It felt too... personal right now. Not that I didn't want her involved in my life but..  
"Did you already eat dinner?" She asked from the living room.  
"Yup."  
I headed up stairs hoping she wouldn't ask anything else. My head had started pounding a while ago and my heartbeat was still erratic.  
I wanted him here so bad.  
The idea of seeing him again was practically unbelievable.  
I shut my bedroom door and immediately flopped on my bed with a pencil and paper. I had to write something back. I felt so bad for not replying sooner.  
My hand paused as I put the tip to the paper. What could I even say?  
I took out the letter from Nezumi and read it over again. I couldn't stop the tears even though I felt totally drained.   
Finally I set it down next to me and starting writing. It was probably all nonsense but it at least got how sorry I was for not sending anything back for so long.  
I folded my letter and set it on my desk. The post office would be long closed by now. I would just send it tomorrow on my way to school.  
After taking a shower I scrambled into bed.  
It suddenly didn't feel as lonely laying there by myself.   
I had hope.  
I closed my eyes and slept better than I had in a few years.

 

The next day I rode my bike to school, stopping at the post office to drop off the letter like I had planned. I had started feeling doubtful that I would see Nezumi again. I wished so bad for him to get the letter right then instead of in a few days.

I walked through the already crowded halls of the high school to my locker. 2 days. That was it till I graduated. I would be off to college about 4 months after that. Hopefully in that time I could find a job, get some more money, and pack my bags. There was already a college that had accepted me about an hour away from town.  
Personally I didn't know what I would do about it if Nezumi came back. It would flip my life around, change my plans. I would still want to go to college though no matter what.

I sat down in class and waited for the bell to ring. I didn't really even need to come to school these last few days. All we did was watch movies and play games. There certainly wasn't going to be any lesson.  
I grabbed a book and thumbed through the pages quietly. Everyone else sat in groups talking about boys, girls, plans for summer, and many other things I didn't care much about.  
About halfway through my phone buzzed. I jumped a tiny bit at the feeling and searched for it in my pocket. My mom had finally gotten me it last summer after I had started joining clubs after school for student counsel and such.  
The screen showed Safu's name with a little flower emoji she had put there with her contact name.  
'Hey, you should come meet me by the cafeteria. My class was too boring'  
She was skipping? I looked around classroom. There were at least 10 students already missing. The teacher sat at his desk. I guess he didn't care. I guess it was fine.  
I got up from my chair with my book tucked under my arm and walked up to him.  
"Uh, Mr. Huff? Can I go to the bathroom?"  
Without looking up from his computer he nodded and waved me away.  
I smiled a little bit and headed out the classroom door feeling overly accomplished.

Safu waited for me at the cafeteria doors, turning as soon as she saw me.  
"Took you long enough!"  
I ran over with a little smile.  
"Sorry. I tried coming quickly."  
She stood with her hands on her hips smirking at me.  
"At least you had the courage to come. Now come on, we should go somewhere so the teachers don't ask what we are doing out here. Doubt they care though."  
Safu grabbed my arm and we walked around a little bit. Would we end up just skipping the whole day?  
I followed her blindly till she led me to a familiar door.  
I had almost forgotten. The dark door loomed over me, the words "staff only" seemed bigger than usual.  
It was the door to the catwalk above the auditorium, the place me and my gray eyed lover had gone so many times.  
"Come on, I hear this place is really cool." Safu said from in front of me, turning the handle and stepping into the dark place.  
"I-I don't-"  
"Oh come on, its fine!"  
She tugged on my arm, pulling me forward. I guess it wouldn't hurt seeing the place again. I followed her warily up the metal stairs.

Everything about the place, even the smell and the odd lighting brought back a strong feeling of nostalgia. How many times had I been led just like this by Nezumi? How many times had he pushed me into that corner to kiss me?  
The higher we got the stronger my uneasiness became. I didn't want to come up here again. It felt wrong.  
I closed my eyes and let Safu's hand guide me.  
"Here we go. I've always wanted to see this place." Her voice said. I opened my eyes to find the warmth of her hand gone and her slim body leaning over the railing of the catwalk, looking down.  
There weren't any actors on stage at the moment.  
I gulped down the thick saliva in my throat and glanced around.

Besides a few boxes almost everything was exactly the same. The curtains that hung off to the side, and the little storage room. The memory of when I had first met Nezumi flashed by. He had pushed me into that closet when this group of girls had come up looking for him. His body had been so close to mine and he had teased me when he saw me blushing.  
"Safu, we-... we should go."  
She gripped at the railing and turned around.  
"Oh come on, you're no fun. Just a little longer. Oh look!" she headed toward the exact storage room I had just been thinking about. "This looks cool."  
Safu poked her head inside.  
"Oh its just boxes and brooms." her voice said, muffled.  
My heart felt like it was about to burst out if my chest.  
"S-Safu I'm going." I said hurriedly, before turning away.  
I didn't expect it to be so hard to come up here again. But it seemed to bring all the pain I had felt over the years back.  
I headed down the stairs right as Safu stuck her head back out of the closet.  
"Wait, what? Shion!" She yelled down.  
Ignoring her, I continued down the metal stairs quickly, wanting to get out.  
The door at the bottom came into view and I rushed out back into the brightly lit hallway of the school.   
Only a few seconds later Safu came behind me.  
"Shion," she said, breathing a little hard, "what's wrong with you?"  
I turned away from her and headed down the hallway. I didn't feel like talking right now, I didn't even know if I could. And I was embarrassed by my discomfort at this.  
Her shoes thumped loudly behind me as she caught up, grabbing my arm.  
"Shion!"  
I finally stopped. Her hand gripped tightly on my arm.  
"Shion.." she worriedly whispered.  
I looked down at the ground, unable to face her. I should probably tell her what was wrong but couldn't bring myself to say anything.  
Safu stood there looking at me for a few seconds, reading the situation till she loosened her grip on my arm. Just as I was about to turn away and continue down the hallway she wrapped her arms quickly around me and hugged me tightly.  
"Safu, what-"  
"Shh."  
She squeezed me a little tighter and buried her head in my chest.  
"Sorry I wasn't listening to you up there. I didn't realize there was actually something wrong. I thought you were just worried a teacher would find us."  
I wrapped my arms around her thin form and brought her head closer.  
"Its ok. It wasn't your fault. Just up there is where.. where.."  
"Is where you and Nezumi always disappeared wasn't it?"  
I paused as she said his name. Of course she would figure that out. She was Safu.  
She released me and looked me in the eyes.  
"I had always wondered where you two would go. But I have to say I didn't imagine that the auditorium catwalk was the place." She gave a little smile and broke our gaze as she turned away slightly.  
"But there sure were a lot of little corners and closets up there. It must of been hard though because the walls really make things echo." She nudged me knowingly with her elbow as I blushed.  
"Yeah." I whispered, scratching my head.  
I was glad there was still no one in the hallway.  
We walked a few steps in silence.  
"Well next period starts in just a few and I actually need to turn something in. But i'll see ya later okay?" Safu said. She was already walking a little in front of me.  
"Yeah ok. See you." I smiled and gave a little wave as she hurried to her locker.  
I watched her go until she disappeared down a hallway. Should I go back to class? That would have been a super long bathroom break.  
I looked at my watch. We only had another couple minutes till the bell rang.  
I looked up as a couple of kids came down the hallway talking to each other loudly.  
"The guy was just staring through the window! It was so creepy! I swear he was looking right at me. The teacher didn't even notice though till he was already gone but I was so creeped out I just left." A girl said to her friends. They gave little gasps of shock and asked her more details.  
"He looked kinda our age though. And was actually quite hot, but not my type. Hopefully he doesn't plan on attacking me later after school ends."  
The girl pretended to give a little shiver and looked up briefly as her group passed me. Her expression changed slightly in confusion as she looked at my face but didn't stop to ask about the red mark that wound across my body. Instead their voices grew quieter as she asked about me to the rest of her friends. I pretended not to notice and sat down on a bench near the wall. A few words reached my ears; gay, disease, dork. The normal stuff. Finally I couldn't hear them anymore as they turned the corner. But the girls story bugged me for some reason. Why would some creep be looking through the window? Sure our school wasn't some private school in the middle of no where but I had never heard of any creepers stalking the kids. We lived in a small town that was pretty nice and full of christian moms that sat on pinterest and would go to the school board for the littlest things. (no offense to anyone tho)  
I shook away my thoughts and checked the time again. The girls story was probably just a lie or exaggeration anyway.

The shrill bell rang and kids were immediately rushing out of classrooms. I didn't feel like going to class though. I would just sit there anyway.  
I got up and followed the flow of students for awhile aimlessly till I realized I was in front of that door again. I stood for a second, pausing and wondering if I really wanted to go up before finally ended up slipping inside and heading up the metal staircase.  
Being alone up here would probably be better than having Safu here with me.

I picked a corner that didn't bring back embarrasing memories (which there ended up being only one) and took out my book. The familiar smell of rusting metal and moth bitten cloth still haunted me but instead of shutting it out I breathed it in deeply. I needed to stop being a baby and deal. Nezumi would most likely come back. I just needed to keep waiting for him.


	20. Chapter 20

I woke up with a start as I opened my eyes in a dark room. Where was I?   
After a second of confusion the musty smell and cold grating under my hands finally reached my senses. I was still sitting on the school cat walk.  
When had I fallen asleep?  
I took out my phone, squinting at the sudden brightness. It was 7pm. School had ended about 4 hours ago. That's what I got for skipping class I guess.  
Hopefully my mom wasn't worried. Though she might not even be home yet.

I stood up and searched for the stairs. All the lights in the auditorium had been turned off so I used a flashlight on my phone to find my way.  
I felt sort of anxious being here alone. There couldn't of been more than a few teachers still here and as I reached the hall I found the silence deafening. It felt so strange being in an empty school that was usually so loud.  
I walked out the school doors. My new home wasn't too far away. Especially compared to my old one next to Safu's.  
I found my bike I had ridden this morning strapped to the bike rack and hopped on. I wondered if my letter was already heading to Nezumi yet. It would still be a while till it got to him though.  
At the thought of him the feeling of pain and loneliness came back. I wanted him to know I was here and waiting for him. I was worried he wouldn't come or I wouldn't get any answer back before I left for college. They had dorms there that I was planning to live in so I wouldn't even be in the same town then.

My driveway was still empty when I arrived. My mom should be home soon.  
I went inside and up to my room. A cool breeze surprised me and I found my window open.  
Did I open it this morning? I let my doubts wash away and wandered towards it and stuck my head out. The spring breeze on my cheeks felt wonderful and I let myself rest here for a minute, eyes closed.  
The dying red of the sun shone through my eyelids.  
Finally I stuck my head back in but left the window open, liking the sound of the few birds chirping before bed. It brought some comfort to my mind.  
I turned around and found my graduation gown laid across my desk. I smoothed the blue fabric out and placed the cap on my head. I had always really liked hats. They fit me nicely and hid my white hair somewhat. But I still rarely wore them  
I turned back to my desk and picked the gown up.  
I'd be wearing it tomorrow at the ceremony.  
Safu was really excited about it. She couldn't wait to be out of her house and become an official adult. And sure I was excited about that too but definitely not as much. I would miss my mom and having life go pretty slow. Once I started college I felt like it would get quite hectic.  
I threw off my shirt and slipped the gown on.  
What was I going to do if Nezumi never came back?  
I didn't think I could ever find someone after him. Would I live the rest of my life alone and absorb myself in work?  
I looked at myself in the mirror. The gown really brought out the scar winding around me. Instead of it's usual pink it practically looked red.  
Safu would be fine having a life focused solely on work, but me? Was that really what I was going to end up do? I wanted love. I wanted to have a family. I didn't want to throw that idea away.  
I took off my cap and clutched it close to me. Why did it have to be this way? Why had highschool done this to me? I could remember when I was younger. Everything had been so simple then. I knew exactly what I wanted to do, where my life would head. I had had such high hopes, but now.. It felt like I had no motivation for anything anymore.  
I bowed my head and closed my eyes tight trying to dry up the tears gathering in my eyes. The fabric felt scratchy against my skin and sent little uncomfortable pricks up my spine. Why couldn't everything be the way it used to be. Before I grew up, before I had so much weight on my shoulders, before I had known love.  
I could hear the window curtains lightly flapping under the wind and the birds voices slowly stilled. Everything was suddenly so quiet that when the voice came from behind me, I jumped.  
"You look great in that." It said softly.  
My heart stopped completely at the familiar voice and my eyes immediately found the mirror in front of me. I felt my lungs constrict as my eyes landed on the reflection of the person behind me. Their raven hair tied in its small ponytail, with the sunset highlighting a few wispy strands. The familiar eyes that seemed to stare straight through you, but this time they seemed to have a little more of a mature look set there.  
"N-.. N."  
My eyes started watering as the realization hit me.  
"N-Nezumi?"  
How long had it been since I had said that word out loud? How long had it brought me so much pain?  
The grey eyed boy in the mirror smiled lightly at me.  
"Hi, Shion."  
I didn't dare breath or say another word as I turned around to face him, surprised to still see him there and not find my bedroom empty. I was hallucinating. I had to be. He couldn't be here, my letter definitely shouldn't of reached him yet.  
I blinked once, trying to wake myself up from another one of my nightmares.  
"I'm back. Shion." His eyes held a look of wonder, and stared straight at me.  
Without another second I ran towards him as I burst into tears.  
His arms pulled me close and brought my head to his shoulder.  
"It's ok. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." His voice whispered in my ear.  
I clung to him desperately, trying to take it all in.  
"Nez-nezumi. Nezu-"  
My voice caught as a sob came out.  
This wasn't real. This couldn't. How could he be here? But as his hand held my head close and raven hair tickled my cheek I knew it had to be true.  
"It's ok Shion, it's ok."  
Nezumi hugged me tightly, if it wasn't for his arms and my own wrapped around his shoulders I probably would have fallen to the floor.  
"Geez, stop crying." He whispered with a light chuckle.  
As I felt a few wet drops find my own shoulder I wasn't sure which one of us he was talking to.  
Finally I loosened my grip on him and looked up, getting to look at his beautiful face for the first time in about 3 years.  
His eyes were full of tears, something I hadn't ever really seen, and his cheeks flushed.  
"Y-you." I choked out softly.  
He grabbed my face and brought his lips suddenly to mine.  
Nezumi being here, standing in my room, kissing me, it was too much.  
I leaned the rest of my body weight on him and held him close, finally pulling away after a minute it so.  
"Nez... How?" I asked softly. How had he left me. How had he come back. How was he even in my room? I had so many questions but nothing seemed to be able to make it across my tongue.  
He set his palms on my cheeks and stared into my eyes.  
"I missed you so much." He stated softly. I found his eyes full of longing and happiness. I was sure mine were the same but it was different seeing Nezumi like this.  
I set my hands on top of his and smiled, trying desperately to stop crying.  
"I did too."  
A few minutes later I closed the window. Nezumi told me how he had gotten here today and had been looking everywhere for me. He first went to the school but after looking in a few windows and getting weird looks he had given up. Next he had tried meeting me at the bus but I never came out. If only I hadn't fallen asleep we could have reunited a few hours ago.  
After not finding me there Nezumi walked to my old house to find that married couple instead.  
After so much despair and worry he remembered Safu lived across the street so had asked her where I was.   
I wondered how she had reacted to him.

"I thought you had left. It even crossed my mind that you were all just some wonderful dream. I was so relieved when Safu told me your address."  
We sat on the bed, hand in hand with our legs touching.  
"I'm sorry. I-I moved last summer."  
He squeezed my hand.  
"I guess that's why you never answered my letter." Nezumi said.  
I looked up at him.  
"I found it just the other day. I wrote something back but I only sent it this morning."  
Nezumi laid down from where he was sitting and yawned.  
"Sorry are you tired? It was probably a long flight? D-do you want something to eat? We have some pizza in the fridge, its cold but we can just-"  
Nezumi stopped me and laughed.  
"Haha, it's fine Shion, I'm a little tired but I don't want to just go to sleep after not seeing you in 3 years."  
His eyes were closed though and I could see faint dark circles under them. How long had the flight been? He might have jet lag.  
"It's ok, you can sleep. But I have school in the morning. It's my last day."  
He pressed into me and circled his arms around my waist.  
"Ok. Wake me up so I can come with you."  
I smiled and moved the hair out of his face.  
How was he really here? How was he sleeping in my bed? It had been so long since I had last seen him and nothing felt real. I was sure I would wake up any second and still be on the catwalk or alone in my bed. But.. Nezumi was really here.  
I bent down and kissed his forehead softly. My mom would get here soon, if she wasn't already here, and I would need to say hi to her or she'd be worried. I also really needed to change out of my graduation gown before it became too wrinkled or covered with tears.  
I looked back at Nezumi's softening face. Well another minute wouldn't hurt.


	21. Chapter 21

That morning I woke to the shrill sound of my alarm clock but didn't dare open my eyes. The memory of last night was fresh in my mind, but.. what if it wasn't even real? Was I still just imagining the presence of warmth on my back? I had had tons of dreams exactly like this before.  
I laid there, trying to gather up the courage to get up and turn off the still screaming alarm.  
What would I do if it really was just a dream?  
I started opening an eye slowly when suddenly the bed creaked and the alarm turned off.  
My eyes shot open as an arm wrapped around me.  
"Mm, get up. You need to get ready for school." The voice whispered in my ear.  
A bright smile formed across my face and I slowly turned and looked up at Nezumi. His gray eyes soft and still sleepy.  
I had forgotten how nice it was to wake up like this.  
"Come on, sleepy head, stop smiling at me like that and get dressed." Nezumi teased happily.  
I grinned even more. "Finne."  
As Nezumi started getting off me I pulled him back down, capturing his lips, not caring that we hadn't brushed our teeth yet and that I didn't have much time till the bus came.  
With a little smack his lips left mine.  
Nezumi's eyes were still slightly widened and he brought a hand up to cover his faint blush.  
"Don't surprise me like that." He said, before taking his hand back away from his mouth.  
I hooked my arms around his neck and grinned up at him again.  
"Ok, I'm ready to get up now."

'Hey Shion. Didn't txt you earlier cuz I thought you'd be busy ;) but last day of school! I'm so happy he came back for u. Oh and don't forget grad ceremony is at 6 tonight.'  
I clutched my phone with one hand and Nezumi's in the other.  
We sat on the jittering bus, bouncing up and down in our seat.  
Nezumi leaned over as he read Safu's text on the small screen.  
"You should've seen her face when she opened her front door to find me there." Nezumi joked.  
I put my phone back in my pocket and looked up at him.  
"What'd she do?"  
Nezumi smiled. "Well besides suddenly hug me, not much. She was so happy I was back and gave me your address right away. I didn't really have time to talk to her."  
I squeezed his hand and watched as the bus turn onto another street.  
"Did your school end early?" I asked the raven haired boy. I had so many questions, and I hadn't asked almost any of them yet.  
"Yeah, about a day ago. I got on a plane right after graduation." He replied.  
I nodded, deep in thought.  
"Did.. Did you apply to any colleges yet?" I asked, trying not to sound desperate and worried.

Nezumi paused for a second, only giving me time to think of all the bad situations we could be in because our colleges would be so far away.  
"Kind of. It's just a theatre program." He finally said.  
I looked up at him.  
"Theatre?"  
Hadn't he played in a few musicals? And he was always reading.  
Nezumi nodded and looked down at our intertwined hands as he kept talking.  
"Yeah, remember that theatre here? Every now and then I would play in it when I had time. The director really liked me so he said I could come get a official job there whenever I finished high school."  
I looked at Nezumi's face, ecstatic. I was so happy he had planned that out. I had had no clue what to do after high school if Nezumi came back. He could've applied to some far off college and I wouldn't see him for years.  
"That's great! I'm going to this college for medical science. It's about an hour away from here. Maybe we could rent a place or something. I think the theatre is pretty near it so it would work out really well."  
Nezumi brought his face close to mine, a smirk playing at his lips.  
"Are you asking me to move in with you?" He said, more as a statement than a question.  
I stumbled to find the words.   
I hadn't exactly realized what I just asked him.  
"W-well yeah I mean it would work well. I mean, unless you.. don't want to."  
He brought our hands to his mouth and kissed one of my knuckles sweetly.  
"Of course. I would love to live with you."  
A million thoughts about how we would go day to day together passed through my head, some dirty, which brought a bright blush to my face.  
"O-ok. G-good"  
The bus jerked as it was brought to a stop in front of the school. I would need to sign Nezumi in as a visitor with the office since he didn't go to school here anymore.  
We got off the bus and headed towards the building, brushing hands as we walked.  
It felt so nostalgic walking here with him. I couldn't help but smile, something I had been doing since he had arrived.

Once inside, we got his visitor pass and then headed to my locker. Being the last day of school the only thing we would be doing in classes was watching movies and having our friends sign our yearbooks with little nice messages and phone numbers.  
Students sat all around the building, not looking like they were going to get up anytime soon.  
"Do you want to just skip?" I asked the boy next to me.  
I had already cleaned out my locker the other day and didn't have anything else to do.  
Nezumi grinned at my suggestion.  
"Wow, when did you turn into such a bad boy." He teased.  
I blushed at his staement, lightly hitting his arm.  
Nezumi grinned and intertwined our figers.  
"No, I was hoping you would ask that. Come on."  
He pulled me the opposite way down the hallway. Right away I knew where he was going, way before I saw that familiar metal door with a faded staff sign.

We had only just sneaked in when suddenly Nezumi pushed me up against the door we had walked through. I could feel it click shut as my weight was pressed against it.  
"Nez?- nm"  
His hands held my arms tightly in place as he kissed me deeply, giving me little space to breath.  
After a second or two I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave in.  
We hadn't shared anything more than a few quick kisses since he got here. And the built up tension seemed to explode between us as he parted my lips with the tip of his tongue.  
I grabbed at his hair as his hands pulled my hips closer. We were practically devouring each other. And it felt wonderful.  
Nezumi slid a hand up the back of my shirt, making me shiver into him. I bit at his lip, maybe a little harder than I should of, and tried pushing further against him.  
Suddenly Nezumi backed up an inch or two, breathing heavily.  
"We should.. probably save.. the rest for later."  
I nodded, only partly there with my eyes half lidded and my hands loosening their grip in his hair.  
"Ok." I breathed out.  
Nezumi's hands slid down to my wrists and gave us another inch of breathing space.  
He sighed deeply and leaned his head against my shoulder.  
"Anyway how were you while I was gone? Anything happen?" The gray eyed boy asked, his voice slightly quieted by my shirt.  
I stiffened up at the question. Things definitely hadn't gone well for me. I remembered all the hours of therapy, the crying, the cutting. It was the worst time of my life. But I couldn't tell him that. I didn't want him to feel guilty about it or think I was weak.  
I gulped, trying to clear my throat.  
"Uh yeah it was fine. I just really missed you."  
Nezumi chuckled softly.  
"I missed you a lot too."

NEZUMI'S POV  
Something felt different. Which I guess was expected, I hadn't seen him in three years but it was still not as I thought it would be. There was just something different about Shion. The innocent, constantly happy person I had met before seemed to have partially slipped away. There was some sort of sadness now set in those beautiful red eyes of his. But I couldn't place it. Three years could do a lot to people, especially when those years are in high school.

Besides the change, I was so happy to be back. We were able to still have the kind of relationship we had before I left and it just felt right.  
We were together again. And I knew everything would be ok.  
Now setting that aside, there was still one thing I felt bad about. I had partially lied to Shion.  
It was true my Uncle had gotten in trouble with some guys but it wasn't his decision to move, I had had to go live with my grandparents.  
Ever since my parents died, and I went to live with my uncle, he had been a drunk. His daughter (and my cousin) was a few years younger than me but had just as much spunk as him. Having her there only seemed to add fuel to his flame.  
Everyday when I got home I would go straight to my room, the one place where cigarette smoke didn't suffocate you.  
Besides being constantly drunk my uncle was an ok man. He had graduated from college with some engineering degree and was generally nice to people.  
But one day after a long day of sitting in the bar he had gotten into a serious fight. It had left two people in the hospital, barely alive, and him injured.  
This all had happened after I met Shion. It had made me extra needy and passionate about him. He was the single beam of light in my world.

After the fight everything was surprisingly fine, for a while. The police ended up not getting involved and the people my uncle had hurt, in his drunken state, never came to see us.

But a month after my uncles incident someone tried to attack our home. They sent in a small poisonous gas bomb and tried setting our house on fire.

I could still remember the instant cold sweat I felt when I woke up to smell smoke. It had brought back the time my parents had died in the fire. I had laid petrified for a few seconds before suddenly getting up. If it hadn't been for me my uncle and cousin would of died.

I had woken him up and dragged him out of the house, yelling for my cousin to follow. After that I didn't remember much, the poison had done a toll on my mind and by the time I officially remember anything I was living with my grandparents hundreds of miles away.  
They told me that they had taken me and my cousin in since my uncle was not allowed to be my guardian anymore.

They were nice people but their house had no phones, internet or anything. It made contacting Shion way harder. So I wrote him a letter. I was embarrassed for some reason to tell him the truth. I didn't want him to know about my uncle or my situation. I didn't want him to worry. So I wrote something that seemed plausible and wouldn't mess up anything.  
I waited months for his reply but never got one. I was so worried that he thought I had totally ditched him and didn't care one bit. But after so long of running to get the mail as soon as the mailmen set it in our mailbox, I tried to focus on something else.  
School.  
For once in my life I studied, brought my books home, and got an average A in all my classes. I got a job at a theatre where I helped with lights and stage props (which kinda sucked) and was able to save up some money. As soon as school ended I took a plane straight here, on the faith that Shion still cared about me.  
Now that I was here all I wanted was to be with Shion. Though he seemed like he had somehow changed, it was still him. The same boy I had fallen in love with those couple years ago.

SHIONS POV  
After school we chose to walk home instead of taking the bus. We walked quickly, with our hands brushing, sometimes hooking our pinkies together for a second before quickly letting go.  
The way Nezumi had his eyes set in a spot in front of him and how his stride was a little longer than normal, I could tell he wanted to get home quickly.

We had spent almost the whole day up in the catwalk, sitting, kissing, cuddling, but mostly kissing. But we hadn't dare go farther than that. Sure, we had done a little more up there before, when it was freshmen year and we had just gotten together, but after being seperated for such a long time.. It felt more important, like we had to be more careful and not just attack each other anywhere.

I already knew that as soon as we were home I would probably get pushed against the bed and be busy till graduation tonight.  
Embarrassingly the thought got me a little.. excited. It was hard with Nezumi right there, not saying a word but knowing exactly what he was thinking.

We strode into my neighborhood and up my driveway, where we apparently overlooked my mom's car sitting there because as soon as we walked through the door and started turning to each other, a voice came from a few feet down the hallway.

"Hey! How was…" she drifted off as she saw us in the doorway, Nezumi's finger in one of my belt loops and our faces very close. We quickly seperated and I attempted to hide the blush on my face.

"O-Oh, m-mom! Um you remember Nezumi, right? He just got back in town. We were just going to h-hang out for a little while." I stammered out. Why was she here early? She always worked till around 7. I knew she was going to come home a little early because of my graduation ceremony at 6 but I didn't know it would be this early.  
The confused, worried look on her face softened.  
"Oh, yes, Nezumi! Oh yes I'm so glad you're back." I could tell she was a little uncomfortable. When my depression had started she had known at least some of it had to do with Nezumi. He didn't come to our house on the weekends anymore and I never talked about him. Plus I believe my therapist had mentioned his name to her. But I hadn't told her really anything. She knew there had been something going on between me and Nezumi that wasn't what best friends had. But she never asked if we were together or not and I never mentioned anything. Now, standing here, I wondered what she thought of him. She had absolutely adored him before but the stolid look on her face now said she was a little worried, maybe even slightly annoyed.  
She continued after giving a little cough.  
"Well your graduation is at 6 and I wanted to make you dinner before then."  
Me and Nezumi carefully walked toward the stairs, both of us wary of the female lion that was my mom.  
"Ok, sounds good. We're just going up stairs for a little bit but I'll be down by then."  
My mom nodded, smiling up at us as we scampered up the stairs. She would probably want to talk to me later.  
"Oh and i'm going out to the store for a little bit. Be good!"  
I glanced back, happy at the sudden announcement. She would be gone for a little bit? I smiled a little bigger than I had before.  
"Ok! We will!"  
Without a doubt I knew she could hear the enthusiasm in my voice.  
My mom turned away from us and went to go get her shoes.  
We headed to my room and I carefully closed the door, trying not to make it squeak too loudly.  
Nezumi spoke from behind me.  
"Well that was.. slightly awkward."  
I turned to him and pushed up at my bangs in discomfort.  
"Yeah. Sorry, she wasn't supposed to be home yet."  
Nezumi smiled.  
"It's fine. At least I hadn't pulled your pants down yet." he said with a smirk.  
Well yeah, at least he hadn't done that yet.  
"B-but she's leaving now. So, I mean it's not really a problem anymore ." I said, my cheeks still flushed.  
Nezumi bent close to me.  
"Not a problem for what?" he teased.  
I stared down at my shoes. He knew what I meant! Why did he always do this?  
"Y-you know! I just- i just-"  
Nezumi laughed his usual 'I think you're cute' laugh and picked up my chin.  
"Open." He whispered, staring at my mouth, making the mood suddenly change.  
I gazed up at him, not understanding his tactics at first but then slowly did what he said and closed my eyes, waiting for him to kiss me. I really wanted him to. I wanted to kiss him as much as I could before my mom got back.

I waited for a few seconds, my mouth open slightly till I started wondering what he was waiting for. I heard a little chuckle come from the boy in front of me and opened my eyes.  
"What?" I asked defensively.  
Nezumi chuckled again and waved it off.  
"Nothing, I just thought I would never be able to do this again."  
My heart thumped against my chest slightly harder.  
I felt the same way. Who knew I would be standing in my bedroom with my gray eyed boy again?  
I sighed and reached up for his shirt, pulling him down forcefully to my mouth.  
Nezumi instantly responded back and pushed me up against the wall, kissing me passionately.  
I let out a quiet moan as he grinded against me, driving me even more crazy than I already was.  
"Nezumi."  
He guided my arms around his neck and picked me up, wrapping my legs around his waist.  
Nezumi pressed my back into the wall again, letting it take some of my weight off him.  
One of his hands ran up and down my torso, pulling my shirt up some to give way to the pale skin underneath and making me shiver.  
"Nezumi, we should go to the bed." I breathed out heavily, the syllables slurred.  
The raven haired boy nodded wordlessly and pulled my weight onto him again and walked to the other side of the room, practically throwing me on the bed.  
He instantly was hovered over me and had my arms pinned above my head. The soft mattress enveloped us some-what as it took our weight.  
Nezumi's mouth was back on me, kissing my ear, my neck, everywhere that my pale skin showed.  
The places he touched tingled and I pressed up against him for more.  
He smiled, millimeters away from my lips and brought my hand up to his mouth, kissing softly at the skin there.  
As I realized his kisses had stopped I squinted open my eyes. My hand was in front of his face still but he stared intently at it for some reason.  
"Shion?" He whispered, worry flooding his voice.  
I opened my eyes all the way, realizing something was actually wrong.  
"What? What is-" I stopped as I realized he was staring at the thin white lines that covered my wrist, not noticeable unless you were close. I instantly flinched, trying to pull my hand away but to no avail.   
Nezumi ran his thumb over the small indents as I stared up at his face, not sure what to say or do. I was still pinned down on the bed, unable to get up, only able to stare as the worry grew on his face.  
"Shion.. did something.. happen while I was gone?" The gray eyed boy whispered softly not tearing his gaze from the scars.  
I didn't even know what to say. I hadn't wanted him to know I had been really depressed while he was gone.  
"I- I.. Im sorry.. It happened a while ago.. I just.." I staggered off. Still not sure how to explain.  
Nezumi lowered his head to my chest.  
"Why?..How did.." His voice wavered as he spoke, wet and muffled in my shirt.  
His reaction was even worse than I had imagined it to be. And he didn't even know everything yet.  
"I was just.. depressed. But I'm fine now- your back, it-its completely fine." I tried to convince him. But it didn't seem to make things any better. Nezumi held my wrist tightly and kept his face hidden by my shirt. I desperately wanted him to let me up, so we could talk properly about it.  
He started shaking lightly from above me, his body tensing up.  
My eyes widened as I realized the warm wet drops on my shoulder were from him. I easily pried my wrist away now and wrapped my arms around Nezumi.  
"Im sorry, I won't do it again" I whispered, tears starting to fill my eyes too.  
The gray eyed boy lifted his head, shaking it.  
"You don't to say sorry to me. Just.. why?" He asked, letting his tears fall.  
I couldn't help but stare at him. I hadn't expected him to care this much about it. Much less cry from it. I ignored his question and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him back down.  
It felt odd, like our roles were reversed for once, but I didn't at all mind it.  
Nezumi hugged me tightly, trying to stop his crying.  
A minute or two went by till he sat back up, more composed now.  
"I'm sorry.." I whispered. I felt bad for making him feel this way and personally I was also really humiliated. I should have thought of him when I had done that to myself. I could of avoided this whole situation.  
Nezumi sat there on top of me, looking right to the side of me. His eyes were somewhat red, his usual stern and knowing look gone. He reached down for my hand and gently brought my wrist to his lips. The warmth of the kiss brought comfort along with it, knowing he cared.  
I sat up once I had room to and leaned my head against his chest. Nezumi wrapped his arms around me and held me close, setting his chin on my hair.  
"Don't do that ever again. Ok? Im here now." The gray eyed boy whispered.  
I nodded into his shirt and breathed in his scent.  
Pine and honey.  
I had thought I would never be able to smell that smell again.  
"Ok." I muttered.


	22. Chapter 22

We spent the next few hours simply cuddling. I felt bad that I had ruined the mood because of my actions from a year or two ago.  
I buttoned up the few buttons that had come undone from our previous actions, holding my lips tightly together. I looked up at Nezumi once I was done. He sat close in front of me, his eyes still slightly red. Just seeing him like that made me want to cry again.  
He looked up as he felt my gaze resting on him. The corners of his mouth hinting downward.  
I stared at those beautiful gray eyes, tear-filled; making them look almost silver.  
A silent conversation traveled through them. About how much he loved me and how worried he felt. I had never seen him this vulnerable, completely open and his feelings pouring out. I reached out and wrapped my arms around him, stuffing my head in his chest. Nezumi gratefully welcomed me and wound his arms around my back. We laid us down on my bed with me halfway on top of him.  
I hadn't meant to hurt him at all. I didn't even realize it would.  
I squeezed a little tighter and snuggled into his neck, gently kissing the soft skin there. We closed our eyes, not in the mood to do anything else besides be close to each other.

It couldn't of been more than two hours later when a hand shook me softly awake. I opened my eyes, expecting Nezumi to be looking down at me but instead found the brown hair framing my moms face. Nezumi was still fast asleep and tangled under me.  
I gave a little squeak of "mom!" and quickly untangled us, almost pushing the black haired boy off the bed. Nezumi caught himself, surprised by the quick awakening as my mom smiled.  
She gave a soft laugh as she saw my discomfort.  
"It's fine Shion." She smiled, "I already mostly knew."  
Nezumi sat up beside me, rubbing his eyes and not seeming too grateful for the way he had been woken up.  
"We were- we were just-" I desperately tried to find an excuse but my moms laugh cut me off again.  
"It's fine. Just come down in about 10 min. I made you guys dinner and then after that we'll be heading to your graduation." She gave me a quick little hug, my heart still beating fast from her waking us up.  
My mom left the room, closing the door behind and disappeared downstairs.  
I heard Nezumi give a yawn beside me.  
"Sorry. My mom.. She-" Nezumi made a noise of detest as his yawn finished and pushed back his dark bangs.  
"It's fine, at least that's something you don't have to worry about now."  
He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, leaning his head on me.  
I swallowed dryly, "Yeah I guess so."

He paused for a second, I could feel his gaze on me but I only stared down.  
"Hey." The black haired boy prodded.  
"What" I asked quietly, intently staring at my bed spread. Nezumi was silent for another second, studying my face from his perch on my shoulder.  
"I love you."  
All my emotions jumped at his little words, un-expecting to be hit like that. My eyes quickly fluttered to his.  
"I-I love you too." I stumbled. He smiled and brought his hand up to my cheek, stroking the red stripe there before leaning close and kissing me softly.  
"Good. Now come on, your mom wants us downstairs."

He got up and stretched out his hand to me. I stared at it for a second. He seemed completely ok with everything now. I was glad. I was worried that he would be so upset about what I had done to myself years ago that something drastic would happen. Now his fingers were spread out before me, calling me to him. Without a second thought I grabbed hold of them, with no thought of ever letting go as he helped me up.

We walked downstairs together, the smell of food growing as we approached the kitchen. My mom beckoned us in and sat us down. Before us laid rolls of bread and my favorite soup she only made for special occasions.  
Her smiling face eased any worry I had had. She didn't even seem to care her son was dating another boy. I mean I knew she loved me and cared about me quite a lot but I hadn't imagined her not being at least a little shocked.  
She poured some of the steaming soup into bowls and sat down, placing them on the table in front of us to eat.  
The steam curled into lively shapes in the air.  
"We have to leave in a little less than an hour so we'll have to eat quickly, okay boys?" She asked. I nodded through a mouthful of homemade bread, mumbling out a response that just barely resembled the word ok before looking down at my food again.  
It was silent for another minute or two, but none of us minding it since there was food in front of us.  
"So you guys are being safe right?" My mom asked, breaking it.  
I choked on my soup as the words came out of her mouth, trying to swallow I glanced up at her, my eyes slightly red.  
"What?" I strained out. But Nezumi's clam voice came from beside me instead.  
"Of course, we haven't done anything since I've been gone but we've always made sure to stay safe." He said with a smile towards my mom. She happily smiled back.  
"Oh good! I was slightly worried when I found you guys were like that, it can sometimes be dangerous if you don't fully understand what you are doing and if you are too young. I mean STDs, aids,-"  
"Mom please" I stuttered out. Why on earth did we have to have this conversation right now. She looked over at me, her eyebrows raised.  
"Oh sorry, we'll just talk more later." She assured, to my horror mostly directed at Nezumi.   
Why.

Once we were done eating me and Nezumi went upstairs. I got changed quickly into my graduation gown and had Nezumi zip me up.  
"Sorry about my mom." I muttered to him. That had been so embarrassing. Nezumi bent down and kissed my bare shoulder. "I don't mind. She seems really nice. I wish I had a mom like that."  
He turned me around, staring down at me lovingly and leaning in close.  
"Do you think I can convince your mom to let us stay at a hotel tonight?" he asked.  
My heart fluttered as I realized what he meant and a deep blush set into my cheeks.  
"M-maybe."  
He grinned and tilted up my chin, bringing me suddenly into a deep kiss.  
I whimpered into his mouth and let him push me backwards against the wall, holding me tightly there. His kiss, like all the others sent my brain haywire. I could practically see stars from just the pressure of his lips against mine.  
He separated us, panting quietly and leaning close to my ear to plant kisses there too.  
"You're so sexy." He huffed out. I grabbed his shirt tighter and pulled him back up, I couldn't wrap my brain on how was he able to send me this crazy. Just as I was about to smash my lips against his again my moms muffled voice rang out from downstairs.  
"Boys! We need to go now!"  
Nezumi sighed and we stopped moving but still stood a breaths away. I bumped my nose against his and closed my eyes.  
"We are definitely going to need that hotel later" I breathed out. I felt his smile even with my eyes closed. Nezumi gave me one last peck before we headed downstairs and away to my graduation.


	23. Chapter 23

The car ride to my graduation consisted of lots of random conversations. Nezumi asked about my mom's bakery and she asked in return what he had done while he was gone, which weirdly made him go quiet.  
Even though he had already been here for almost 2 days I hadn't really asked much. I remember him telling he had moved because his dad had found a new job in the letter he sent me but that was all I truly knew.   
Now he sat beside me saying few sentences about how it was fine and had been pretty boring. He said he was glad he was able to get away.   
The last sentence, though to my mom just made her think he missed me a lot, made me know there was something else hidden there. 

 

We pulled up to the school before I was able to settle my uneasiness, which only grew as we walked into the auditorium.   
This was my graduation. I would be officially done with high school and move on in life. It was a big stepping stone. How would the rest of my life be? Would I be happy?   
Nezumi's hand gripping mine softly assured me we would at least still be together. But would that be for the rest of our lives?   
"This way please, sir. Graduating students sit up here." A woman said, touching my shoulder. I looked up at her surprised.   
Wait, yes I already knew this. We had gone through this at a practice ceremony a few days ago.   
I looked up at the sea of red gowns sitting right in front of the stage.   
Nezumi voice came from next to me.   
"Goodluck." He whispered with a smile before turning away to find a seat with my mom in the audience.   
Suddenly my heart sped up and hands became clammy. What was this? I didn't want to go up. I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders as soon as the black haired boys hand slipped out of my grasp. I was nervous.   
"Wait!" I almost shouted, taking a quick step towards him. He twirled around and for a second I could see a worried glint in his eyes before I threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly with my face scrunched up to his chest.   
"Shi-!"   
"Please, just one second." I whispered, cutting him off.   
A silent moment passed before his own arms wrapped around me, bringing me closer.   
"Hey it's ok." He whispered into my white hair.   
"I'll be right over here. Just look my way if you need me."   
I nodded my head eagerly into his shirt and let him go. My cheeks were lightly flushed as I realized a few people were staring.   
I had forgotten for a minute that I was hugging another man in front of a growing audience, which sadly still wasn't very accepted in society.   
I looked up at him one last time as he gave me a smirk.   
"Remember, we have plans later."   
My blush only grew brighter. "Y-yeah" I mumbled, trying to hide my excitement.   
At that I turned around and found the lady still waiting there, trying to lead me to my seat.   
"Sorry." I whispered to her.   
She grinned at me, waving her hand as it was no problem.   
"Oh it's fine... Is that your boyfriend?" She asked politely. The question caught me off guard and I looked up at her. Her graying hair topped with a cute hat. She seemed sincere as she asked it with no hint of disgust.   
"Y-yeah." I muttered cautiously.   
Her smile grew and she motioned to my chair among the many others.   
"Well you guys are cute."   
My face became pink but I couldn't help but give her a bright cheesy smile.   
"Thank you. That means a lot."   
The sides of her eyes crinkled before she walked away to get the next graduating senior.   
Besides Safu and my mom I thought that was the first person to not call us gross or weird. It caused my spirits to lift and any nervousness left to go away. 

A light tap came upon my shoulder and I spun around to another bright smiling face.   
"Oh Safu!"   
She grinned. Her hair was lightly curled and she seemed to even have a little makeup on.   
"Hope you haven't forgotten about me yet" she teased.   
I shook my head and chuckled.   
"No way. You look great by the way."   
Safu gave me a delighted grin.   
"Thanks."

 

We chatted for a few minutes before the audience hushed as the principal walked onstage and to the mike.   
"Welcome to the graduation ceremony of the 2016 senior class. I am delighted all of you could make it to see this big step being taken by these wonderful young adults." He announced. The enthusiasm in the claps of the audience did not match his voice.   
He went on for a couple minutes describing how hard all of us have worked.   
My eyes, disobeying my thoughts, looked up to find Nezumi. They scoured the rows of filled seats until they rested on my gray eyed boy. He looked up and gave me a encouraging smile.   
"We will start off with the amazing students who have all kept a GPA of 4.0 their whole time here and have exceeded the limit of extraordinary. They will come up one by one to receive a small medallion and their graduation diploma." The principal said.   
I knew that would include me.   
Despite my one/two years when I was seriously depressed I had mostly kept my grades up. Except for one semester where I got a B in a class but in the long run that didn't matter.   
I glanced at Safu, who glanced back at me. She would come before me since they go in alphabetical order.   
"Ready?" Safu asked   
I nodded   
"Yeah. You?"   
Her smile deepened and she nodded.   
I turned around as the principal started naming off names, having the kids come up and receive their diploma. "Alexia... Ayden... Becca..." The list started going on and on.   
Finally Safu's name was called and I clapped, proud of my best friend as she walked up.   
She got her diploma and shook the principals hand, then came back down to her seat.   
"Shion."   
My name echoing off the walls surprised me, I hadn't expected to be right after her.   
I stood up and walked slightly unsteadily up to the front of the stage. I guess this was it. The official end of high school.   
I looked up quickly to find Nezumi's face. He stared cheerfully at me, my mom at his side, clapping loudly as I was handed my diploma.   
I shook the wrinkled old hand and sat back down, smiling. 

The rest of the ceremony buzzed past. Tons of other names were called and when we were finally done there was one last speech from a student.   
After all of that I shook my teachers hands and caught up with Safu quickly, promising to get together sometime in the near future.   
I shuffled through the thick crowd trying to find my family.   
The black little pony tail was what my eyes found first and he quickly saw me as I shuffled closer.   
"Shion! Congratulations!" He grabbed my hand, giving me a bright smile.   
"Thanks!"   
My mom appeared from behind him.   
"Congratulations, hunny! I'm so proud of you."   
She handed me a little bouquet of light purple flowers which I immediately sniffed.   
"Oh, thanks mom!"  
She grinned and patted me on the back.   
"Well I've heard you guys want to got to a party and stuff tonight." She said, giving Nezumi a glance. "So I'm just going to go home. Do you want me drive you there on the way?"  
Nezumi shook his head.   
"No, it's ok, but thank you!"   
My mom nodded and gave me one last hug before she left.   
I turned to Nezumi once she was out of sight.   
"Party?" I asked, confused.   
He chuckled and grabbed my hand, leaning in close.   
"Well for two people." He said huskily.   
I blushed and looked away, realizing what he meant, but definitely happy we weren't going to be with other people.   
"O-oh."   
Nezumi smiled and grabbed my hand.   
"Come on." He urged me, dragging me out of the crowded room. 

 

I was so glad I had worn regular clothes under my graduation gown, that way I was able to immediately return it to the school and didn't get any strange look from the lady at the desk of the hotel. It felt a little uncomfortable when she looked us up and down for luggage and we told her it would only be for one night, but all my worries receded as Nezumi was handed our room key and we walked into the elevator.   
The light tinging music did not seem to match the mood at all and we stood there in silence, Nezumi rolling light circles over my thumb with his own.   
It had been so long, I still barely believed he was here standing beside me.   
We walked into our room.   
I was still slightly nervous, but it was Nezumi, what on earth could go wrong?   
The dark haired boy shut the door behind us with a quiet click and turned to me.  
"You okay?" He asked, noticing the look on my face.   
I nodded.   
"Yeah. Sorry, just.. It's been a long time." I told him, fidgeting with my hands.   
Nezumi gave that little devilish grin he always gave me and took a step closer.   
"I know." He said, watching as his finger gently ran down my waist. He looked up into my eyes, staring there for a few seconds.   
I gazed back into the beautiful gray orbs, slightly older than they had used to be.   
Nezumi ran his fingers up my torso, still staring into my eyes.   
Finally he let a finger slip into my collar as he inched closer, our foreheads almost touching. He rubbed the pink streak there lightly, knowing it was quite sensitive. My eyelids fluttered closed for a second before popping back open.   
"Nezumi.." I whispered, close to his mouth.   
I could feel his lips form a smile close to mine.   
He pushed me back a little bit more till my back was against the wall, finally un-buttoning the top button of my shirt. His other hand gently rose the hem, tracing the top part of the V that disappeared into my shorts.   
"You don't have anything going on tomorrow right?." Nezumi hummed into my ear.   
I shivered and shook my head as he lightly brushed across my nipple from under my shirt.   
"N-No." I was so glad I didn't.   
My hands clenched at his shirt, my neediness starting to show. I tried to pull him down to my lips but he wouldn't budge.   
"Nezumi." I whined.   
He grinned, still lightly rubbing the skin under my shirt.   
"What?" He asked teasingly.   
My lips set into a little pout. And I tugged at his shirt again.   
"Come oonn." I pleaded.   
After another grin he finally captured my lips in his own. His hand cupping my cheek and guiding me closer to him.   
I stood on my tiptoes, wondering how he had grown so much while I had pretty much stayed the same height.   
Nezumi suddenly wrapped his hands around the back of my thighs and pulled me up, wrapping me around him before he started caring me to the bed, all the while kissing me deeply.   
He laid me down and separated us for a second to take a breath before getting on top of me and meeting our lips once again.   
I let out a little noise of pleasure as his fingers drifted down my sides, lifting my shirt off and feeling my skin underneath.   
"N-nez.."   
He tucked a hand under the back of my head and kissed up and down my neck, sucking or biting every now and then.   
My breaths slowly turned heavy and came out faster as my body was touched. My fingers wound their way into his hair and gripped at it, pushing him down or moving him slightly when he found a better spot.   
Nezumis hands reached down, slyly unbuttoning my pants and sliding then off.   
Afterwords his mouth traveled from my neck and down to my stomach, kissing and lightly sucking at places.   
My body shivered and I whispered his name, my mind going blank as his mouth practically drove me insane.   
"Nezumi- mm."   
The black haired boy sat back up, looking at me for a second with a quirked smile.   
"You.. You are really..." He said while a single finger traveled down my torso and to between my legs. Goose bumps sprung up along my skin.   
"Something." He finished.   
...Was that supposed to be a compliment?   
I smiled at his loss for words, something that was very unusual as he usually seemed to know exactly what to say.   
I wrapped my arms around his neck and lightly kissed him.   
"You are really something too." 

 

An hour or two later we laid breathing heavily next to each other, our minds still fuzzy from our previous actions.   
Nezumis hand rested in mine and our bodies slightly sweaty.   
As our breathing slowed I turned on my side and cuddled into him.   
"Nezumi?" I asked.   
He turned his head a little but kept his eyes closed.   
"Hm?" He hummed.   
I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him.   
"I love you." I smiled.   
Nezumi turned around, grinning down at me and scooted me closer to him with a quick tug.   
"I love you too." He whispered close to my lips.   
As I was just about to lean in for a kiss Nezumis face softened, loosing his smile and looked down from my eyes.  
My eyebrows knit in concern.   
"What's the matter?"   
Nezumi shook his head and glanced back up. His eyes held a meaningful look and stared into mine intently, making me worry even more.   
"Shion.. I-.. I want to marry you." He confessed, dodging from my eyes a few times as the words spilled over his lips.  
The words jumbled together in my brain as I sat astonished and in awe.   
My throat seemed to suddenly swell up and it was hard to speak.   
"M-mar...marry? Nezumi, that's-" my voice cracked and I stopped, unable to tear my eyes from his.   
My heart felt like it rose in my chest and a uncontainable smile formed on my lips.   
"Nezumi" I said before suddenly kissing him.   
The gray eyed boy looked up a little shocked as our lips parted.   
"You don't think that we're going to fast?" He asked.   
I shook my head, feeling tears form behind my eyelids.   
"Of course not. Nezumi I would love to marry you."   
His eyes brightened and the biggest smile I had ever seen him make sat on his face.   
He leaned forward making our noses and foreheads touch.   
"Good." He said, a smirk forming on his lips. 

 

Epilogue 

Nezumi grabbed my hand as I was cooking in the kitchen, giving me a little twirl before lightly tugging me to him and setting his lips on mine.   
"I'm back." He smiled.   
I grinned back at him. "Welcome home." I practically sang.   
Nezumi lightly kissed me again and began to help me cook dinner. We talked about our day, like we always did when he got home. He had had a good day at the theatre, the new play they had been practicing for over 4 month had it's opening showing next week and Nezumi, like almost always, had the lead part.   
As for me, I told him about my day at college. I had just completed a couple classes and only had two more I needed to take before getting my bachelors degree in medicine and start my way up to become a doctor.   
It also turned out that Safu also had to take one of those classes for psychology so we would be able to see each other a little more.   
Nezumi reached over grabbing the salt and pepper and set it on the table as I got the plates.   
My mom and Safu would be here soon, as they always were on every other Friday night for dinner.   
It was nice still being close to both of them, only a half hour away for my mom and Safu being only about 5 min away. 

The doorbell rang and soon we were all sitting at the table, digging into the soup I had made and making small talk.   
My mom was doing great with her bakery and someone had come to her asking if they could start a little bigger business.   
Halfway through when the conversations died out Nezumi suddenly grabbed my hand, giving me a look.   
I smiled at him, giving him a nod and we turned back to our company.   
"Mom, Safu, we also have something to announce." I said.   
They stopped and looked up from their plates.   
"What?" Safu asked.   
I squeezed Nezumis hand, glancing at him one last time.   
"We are finally getting married this spring!" I told them.   
Safu's face brightened up and my mom clapped her hands together.   
"Oh that's so wonderful Shion!" My mom said.   
"Have you decided where?" Safu asked.   
I took a sip of soup letting Nezumi go explain.   
"We aren't sure yet, we will probably just search for places till we feel its right." He said.   
The rest of dinner we talked about the details a little more. 

A couple hours later my mom and Safu left, hugging us goodbye and saying they would see us next week.   
I turned around and saw Nezumi setting the dishes in the sink.   
"They gone?" He asked.   
I walked into our kitchen, twirling the engagement ring on my finger with my thumb.   
"Yeah... Wanna do something?"   
The gray eyed boy turned around as he finished, smirking at me sexily.   
"I sure do." He replied.   
He grabbed my waist and brought me tightly against him.  
I smiled and entwined my fingers in his hair, leaning in to kiss him deeply.   
Even though we've lived together for almost 2 years now we were still as together as ever. I was worried at first if it was possible we could somehow become separated again. But I had found that to be untrue.   
Nezumi lifted me up and wrapped my legs around his hips. He separated our lips quickly, breathing heavily.   
"Upstairs." He whispered before quickly walking us upstairs, kissing me all the way.   
Sometimes I still couldn't believe he was here with me. That we lived together and that we were even getting married.   
It was amazing and felt crazy at the same time. 

Now I laid awake in the middle of the night, staring at my beautiful gray eyed boy laying asleep beside me. He was curled on his side breathing softly, a lock of his dark bangs hanging in his face. I gently moved it away and brushed his lips with my finger.   
Over the time we had lived together I had learned so much more about him. (One of them being how well he looked as a girl)   
I had found so many secret talents and learned the truth about why he had moved all those years ago. And all of it only made me love him more.   
I gently pecked his lips when suddenly a gust of wind came through the open window across the room, making the curtains billow out towards us and a few papers on the desk move.   
I stealthily crawled over Nezumi and out of bed. Staring out the window as the moonlight shone in.   
This was the happiest I had ever been, and I believed I would ever be. Nezumi was here and he wasn't leaving me. We would even be a family soon. I glanced back at my gray eyed boy one last time.   
He was here.   
I smiled at the ground and turned around, reaching out and closing the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well thats the end. I really hope you all love it. I enjoyed all your guys' comments and things you shared with me ^~^  
> God, what am I gonna do on the bus now since I've finished writing this.  
> Anyway please leave a comment on what you thought of it or if you ever want me to write any more!  
> ~Gracie


End file.
